Stellar Evolution: Supernova
by Sheherazade's Fable
Summary: Last in the Stellar Evolution series. Assuming your destiny can be difficult, even if you have been training for years. It just means that your enemies have had time to prepare too. Canon pairings.
1. Chapter 1

Stars start up as nothing special; just clouds of gas and dust. These nebulas will later turn into protostars, the first stage of a stars life. From there several things can happen; since stellar evolution is a tricky process. At the height of a star's brilliance though, it will do one of two things; turn into a blackhole or go supernova.

Really, it just depends on the star.

.

.

.

Ogres and Dave did not get along well. He had never liked the towering, mucusy monsters. They were pure muscle and fat, he doubted they had any bones, and they dripped. He also suspected that they had saliva instead of blood. They smelled too but so did many of the other monsters that he faced. He could handle the smell, but the mucus was far too much.

Most of the other ogres he'd fought he'd had Balthazar with him. However, two years back Balthazar had started to give him more and more solo assignments. He'd explained that he was trying to make things so that Dave would end up proficient in working by himself as well as in groups. He also got the feeling that Balthazar was trying to step back until Dave ended up a fully-fledged sorcerer like himself. He wasn't sure what to think of that.

When he had finally vanquished his ninth solo ogre he returned to the apartment he shared with his roommate. Normally he'd have to go to the Arcana Cabana that evening and report success. However, it really was just an ogre. Balthazar need not worry. Dave was too tired for a phone call and he'd be going there the next night anyway. He'd just tell him then.

Not for the first time he found himself wishing that Balthazar lived closer. At first he had considered going to college from the Arcana Cabana. He figured that it would save time and resources, but in the end he'd discovered that the commute would be too long. So instead Bennet and he had split the rent of a small apartment that was a twelve minute walk from campus.

Bennet had been out when he arrived, which was fortunate. Dave really didn't want to have to explain why he was covered with brown-yellow gunk. Exhausted he had just headed directly for the shower. Forty minutes later the last of the gunk had gone down the drain and he'd felt rather more human.

He'd dragged himself to his room and found that the time was 12:10. Rolling into bed he'd muttered;

"Happy birthday."

Then his eyes had closed, only to be woken seemingly seconds later by his alarm clock. Sighing he opened his eyes to see that Tank had wormed his way so that he was lying on Dave's chest. At least he hadn't slobbered all over him; Dave had had quite enough of slobber the previous night.

"Good morning beautiful," he said, scratching Tank's ears.

Tank gurgled in response and Dave got up. His head felt like it was full of cotton and he smacked it once or twice to get himself to focus. Not bothering to get dressed quite yet he stumbled into the living room. Bennet was already there, eating one of his super-sugar cereals. He turned when Dave came in and tossed him a package of cookies.

"Happy birthday," he said.

"Thanks," Dave said, rubbing his eyes and fishing around in his sock drawer for a fresh pair.

"So," Bennet said, "I hear Webber has you doing some sort of tutorial?"

Dave groaned.

"Yeah, I'm helping out with one of his Physics classes for liberal arts students," he said, practically falling back in his chair, "I'd forgotten about it."

The events of the night before had effectively pushed it out of his mind. He had been supposed to do the preparation the night before, but he'd gotten a call from Balthazar about the ogre. Now he'd have to hurry to get everything together. His morning was going to be much more hectic than he'd imagined. Some birthday this was turning out to be.

"Hah, you're teaching English majors long division," laughed Bennet, "I'd have tried to forget about it too."

"I know, it's like the Peace Corps," winced Dave, "But I need the credit."

"Mmhm," Bennet said, "Hey, there's this party tonight. There's gonna be cheerleaders there."

Dave rolled his eyes. Bennet's attempts to play matchmaker were always painfully obvious.

"No thanks."

"They're from **Princeton**," explained Bennet.

"Ooooh, smart cheerleaders," Dave said, "Like I said; no thanks."

"Well, what are your plans for your birthday?"

Truthfully Dave's plans were to down to the Arcana Cabana, talk over the previous day's hunt and catch up with his 'uncle'. Maybe they'd end up going off and killing something else; the ogre might have had friends or Balthazar might have found something in the sewer. However, he couldn't tell Bennet any of that. Best just to go with his plan if there was any spare time.

"Probably work on my Tesla coils," he shrugged.

Bennet made a face.

"They're soothing!" Dave protested.

Bennet shook his head. He walked up to the refrigerator and picked up the calendar. Dave watched with dismay. There were two calendars for each of them. Dave's pictured different mythological beasts. It was like a quick study. Bennet's had different pictures of wildlife. He had a bad idea where this was going.

"Are you familiar with the gray wolf Dave?"

"Oh no," moaned Dave, "Not again. You've been doing this since freshman year and I don't think that I can-"

"The gray wolf is a pack animal," interrupted Bennet, his voice serious and his face intent, "He must hunt and grunt. He must find a mate. He must participate!"

He slammed the calendar on the table to emphasize his point. Dave jumped.

"You can't keep doing that solo CIA agent stuff anymore," Bennet said, "That doesn't roll outside of high school."

"For the last time I'm **not **CIA!"

"You're gonna get thrown out of the pack," continued Bennet, ignoring him, "Alone, eaten by a hungry bear."

Dave resisted the urge to snort and swat the calendar away. Even Bennet's imagery didn't frighten him. After all Bennet had never been nearly eaten by something. Dave felt that he wasn't underlining the trauma that came with that enough. Considering all the things he'd nearly been eaten by a bear would be a relief. Again though, it was something he couldn't say.

He'd have to settle for having Bennet think that his words had been more than a slight annoyance and a reminder of his anti-social tendencies.

"Well that's a real pick-me-up," said Dave, "And I'm ready to go get the day."


	2. Chapter 2

Twenty," Balthazar mumbled as he stacked books, "How the hell did that boy reach twenty?"

He glanced at the Grimhold with the image of Veronica on it. Sometimes he worried that he was going a little mad. It could only be expected after all of the things that he had been through in his life. If he was then he felt that there were worse ways for his madness to manifest itself than imagining he was talking to Veronica.

However; he didn't think he was going mad. Instead he felt irritated at his brain for suggesting that as a possibility. Balthazar was old and as such he deserved his little quirks. If he wanted to pretend that he was talking to his long-lost love then he damn well would.

"We didn't grow up this fast," he groused, "We took our time. We didn't go around reaching twenty like that."

He snapped his fingers.

"And we didn't run off to college either," he said, "Not that they had college back then but you know what I mean. If he wasn't anti-social then I'd swear he'd be out partying every night. He hasn't even called me about that ogre he was supposed to hunt down. That's the first thing he's supposed to do."

Clicking his tongue he continued.

"And I know that the reason he hasn't called isn't because he got himself hurt or killed," said Balthazar, "It's just an ogre. I might have sent him out chasing gnomes. The only thing about them that's dangerous is their mucus and that's only the smell. They're nasty, disgusting things. And they eat people. I wonder if they're more mucusy inside or out."

With a grimace Balthazar finished stacking the books. He turned away from them, picking up the Grimhold and taking it with him as he went into his room.

"At least he took the dog with him. Damned thing would probably go around all day whining and moping after him if he hadn't."

Balthazar glared balefully at the ceiling.

"When I met him he was ten," said Balthazar, "Ten. He was as delicate as one of those china dolls, thought he'd trip and shatter. I think your genes might have rubbed off on him; you always were fragile."

His mind flickered to when he'd held Veronica's tortured form after she'd escaped from Morgana. Bruises and cuts had speckled her fair skin. In that moment all he'd wanted to do was go out and try to get revenge no matter what the consequences. Merlin could keep his stupid plans to himself. Then she had clung to the front of his tunic and he'd known that he'd never be able to leave her, not even for revenge.

When he spoke again his voice caught a little.

"Back then Dave came up to my waist. Short even for his age."

One of his arms gestured wildly.

"And his head was too big," Balthazar said his voice resuming its irritated tone, "It was downright unproportional. Then again it had to be big to hold those huge Bambi eyes. How many kids need a bigger head to hold their eyes?"

Balthazar could almost imagine her part in the conversation.

"So what if my head was a little big when I was ten?" he snapped, "It was never as big as his was then. You'd agree with me if you could have seen it. And for the record I** never** had Bambi eyes. There's a lot that can be said about me, but you can't say that I had or have Bambi eyes."

Sighing he flopped into a chair and leaned his head back. The movie _Bambi _had, of course, not even been thought of when Veronica last walked the earth. Still, he thought she might understand the point he was getting at. Very few people could understand him like she could. That was probably why she had started making tentative overtures to him when he still thought he wasn't good enough for her.

No, not even in a moment of childish teasing had she said that his eyes had been too big. She had said other things about his eyes. Whenever she mentioned them her comments about their intensity and how she would drown in them if she wasn't careful. Some of those words were light and teasing while others were whispered in the night.

Oh yes. If he concentrated then he could remember many things; the way her skin felt beneath his fingers, how he'd fumbled their first kiss, and how her head fit perfectly into the crook of his neck. He could even remember how he had imagined circling the necklace he had bought for her around her delicate white neck.

Feeling lost in the tide he breathed out. Sometimes it felt like she had been there only yesterday. All of the memories were been fresh in his mind, perhaps as a gift from Merlin. And at other times he felt every painful and broken second of those thirteen hundred years.

Reaching out he picked up the Grimhold and held it delicately.

"You'll see what I mean when you meet him," Balthazar said, "And you're going to meet him, I can promise you that."

Smiling he tilted his head speculatively.

"I suppose that he's grown into his eyes by now, but he still lookslike a kicked puppy," he said, "And he's tall now. As tall as I am. They say when the teacher has no more to teach then the student has overcome them. But lessons really end when the student has become taller than the teacher. Remember how awkward things got when I got taller than Merlin? Hard to be commanding to someone who's taller than you."

He sighed.

"I can't believe I haven't told him who he really is before now," said Balthazar, "Dave needs to know that he's the Prime Merlinian. I should have told him when he was eighteen but things got so busy with the graduation and college and…"

His voice trailed off.

"No, there's not really any excuse for putting it off for so long," he said, "Dave needs to know and, no matter what, I'm going to tell him tonight. He's twenty years old and it's high time that he knows who he is."

Balthazar clutched the Grimhold tightly.

"Perhaps the earlier he learns about his destiny the earlier he can fulfill it," he murmured softly.


	3. Chapter 3

Becky did not like Physics. It was a class that she would happily see disappear from the face of the earth if she had her way. Even the practical demonstrations bored her to tears and she knew her grades were slipping because of it. All she needed was a passing grade in that class though, and then she would never have to think about it again.

So she wasn't paying much attention when she walked into the classroom that day. She sidestepped most of her classmates and got a convenient seat a few rows back. Since there was extra time before class started she got out the playlist for her radio show that night. Frowning at it she crossed off songs and added her own. Just because no one was listening didn't mean that they couldn't have good music.

Someone opened the door and she felt a gust of wind. A piece of paper tickled her foot but she didn't think too much of it. Then she felt it snatched away, but she didn't hear any footsteps. Gripping her pen tighter she looked down where she saw a pair of brown eyes staring at her. Inwardly she flushed when she realized that he'd been looking at her legs.

"Need something?" she asked, keeping her tone clipped.

He blustered, blood rushing to his face.

"Um…I should just go," he said.

"Yeah, you-" Becky started.

She paused and cocked her head. There was something rather familiar about those eyes. There was also something familiar about that embarrassed expression. It clicked.

"Dave?" she asked, "Dave Stutler?"

He blinked at her and then his eyes widened.

"Becky Barnes?" he asked.

Something warm welled up inside of her. He recognized her.

"Yes," she said, "It's been what, ten years?"

"Yeah," he said, "It has."

"You moved away," Becky said, "to…"

She bit back the phrase 'to learn magic'. Dave however, saw what she meant.

"I did," said Dave, nodding.

From the front of the class Professor Webber coughed loudly. Dave looked down at the podium and gave a frustrated sigh. He gave her one last smile before turning and heading down the stairs. She watched him go, feeling that Professor Webber was without a doubt her least favorite teacher.

For the rest of the class period she paid strict attention. Her friends would have been surprised. However, she didn't actually take any notes on the presentation. Her attention was solely focused on the long-lost childhood friend who was presenting. Apparently he'd grown up to be quite the genius.

When class let out she saw it was raining. Some of her friends offered to share an umbrella but she said she was meeting someone outside of the Physics room. This was true, even though he didn't know it yet. Becky waited patiently until she saw Dave hurrying out with his umbrella, looking to the left and the right.

"Hey Dave," she laughed.

"Oh, you uh, waited for me," Dave said.

"Well, it's not every day your old friend shows up," she said, "Heading down fifth?"  
>"It's on my way," he said.<p>

Opening his umbrella he invited her to come under it. For a minute Becky considered wrapping her arm around his, like they were in an old-fashioned film. Then she blushed and dismissed it. It was cheesy and probably wouldn't be welcome. Just because she had had a childish crush on him didn't mean anything. Besides, all of that had been ten years ago.

"So um, are you liking Physics?" he asked.

"Not at all," Becky said, "My brain just doesn't think Physics."

"Then what does it think?"

"Music mostly," she answered, "And yours Dave?"

There was an undertone to her question and Dave tilted his head slightly.

"Physics," he said, "and sorcery. I can go on for hours about physics, but I'm not sure where to begin with sorcery. A lot's happened in ten years."

"It has," she agreed.

They walked to the student radio building. She turned and gestured towards the door.

"This is me," said Becky.

"You work at the radio station?" asked Dave, his voice impressed, "That's so cool!"

"Like three people listen," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, you can round it up to four."

She smiled just as a bolt of lightning crashed through the sky. Her head whipped up as she saw it strike their building.

"I think that's our antenna!" exclaimed Becky, pushing her way into the building.

Racing up the stairs she entered the control room. Becky hoped that someone could reassure her that things were going to be fine, but everyone had the same bleak tone. Her heart sank into her stomach. She was about to give up when she heard Dave cough. Feeling surprised she turned and looked at him. She'd all but forgotten about him in the excitement.

"Where do you keep your tools?" he asked.

For the next ten minutes she watched in awe as he fixed their transmitter. Andre, one of the techs, hurried out to tell the rest. She leaned against the doorframe.

"Thank you so much," Becky said.

"No, I can tell this is really important to you," he said.

"It is," she said honestly, "It's the one thing…"

Her voice trailed off, not able to find words. However, Dave nodded in understanding.

"Sorcery and physics for me," he said, getting up, "Anyway, I'll be seeing you around."

Disappointment welled up as she watched him leave. She wanted to say something but she suddenly felt a little insignificant next to him. If he didn't want to stay in contact with her, then who was she to decide that they needed to be? After all, she had just embarrassed herself over a radio station while her childhood crush and current sorcerer had stepped in and fixed things.

Swallowing she went into the broadcasting room. She'd get over it; she'd gotten over a lot of disappointments. However, she couldn't resist looking at the good luck charm that she had wound around her microphone. The necklace that Dave had created for her all those years ago when they were children hung there, like it had during her every performance.


	4. Chapter 4

Dave ran through the streets of New York, ignoring the strange looks from pedestrians. His feet splashed in puddles and water flew up around his ankles even though the rain had stopped. His umbrella was tucked under his arm and he felt breathless as he opened the door to his apartment.

That had been Becky, **the **Becky. Becky the girl who had stood up for him in grade school. Becky, who had told Balthazar where he could be found instead of cowering away. Becky who had been his first and only friend in Ashridge. Becky the I'm-so-in-love-with-you-even-though-I'm-ten.

Adn he hadn't managed to make a fool of himself. Alright, so his strange speech patterns had been somewhat embarrassing. Yet, he'd done his presentation right. And then he'd managed to fix her antennae. The antennae that allowed her to do her 'one thing'. Thinking back on it, he'd been pretty cool. If he'd had the guts to ask for her phone number then everything woudl have been perfect.

He took a breath to calm himself. Dave went over what had happened in his head a million times he climbed the steps. Admittedly each time it changed a little so that by the end he was essentially riding a white horse, but still. The more he went over it the more epic he felt that it had been.

Smiling he unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped in. Bennet wasn't there; he was probably already off partying with the Princeton cheerleaders. He had some time to clean up before he met up with Balthazar. Using that he could make sure that he didn't have the same goofy grin that he knew was plastered over his face.

This was something he wanted to treasure himself, although he did want to ask what to do next. Bennet's approach to girls was too confident for him to attempt but he couldn't ask Balthazar about it either. Balthazar had been a great mentor and father figure and he was eternally indebted to him. He just had the feeling that the man knew absolutely nothing about girls.

Opening the fridge he took out a soda. After taking a sip he leaned back on the counter.

"Are you quite done?"

Dave choked on the soda and spit it out. The bottle dropped out of his hand and clattered on the floor. Sitting at his table like he owned the apartment, and the entire blockv, was Horvath; the man who had starred in the bulk of his nightmares since he was ten. Dave stared at him with wide eyes.

"You were surprisingly hard to find," Horvath said conversationally, "I expect something like that from Balthazar, but I spent years tailing you. Now I come back to New York only to find that you're going to college in the same city that I left you. And I was in Europe looking for you, as well as Asia. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?"

Dave opened his mouth and then closed it again.

"Yes, I don't remember you being particularly articulate," Horvath said, "Now, where's Balthazar, and where is the Grimhold?"

"Um…" Dave stuttered.

"Don't tell me that you don't know. Balthazar has a rather irritating habit of trying not to leave anyone behind," said Horvath, "Even if you were completely hopeless, which I suspect from the fact that you don't seem to have the brain cells necessary to form words, then he wouldn't abandon you."

Horvath mentioned what Dave considered Balthazar's best point like it was some sort of crime or faux pas.

"So," Horvath continued, "where is he?"

Swallowing Dave closed the door to the fridge. Then he took off running, his hand slipping across the papers tacked to the fridge's door. Several came off and Dave took one lunging step forward. He slipped on the spilt soda and ran into the door. He heard Horvath chuckle with amusement before he took off down the staircase.

Getting up leisurely Horvath looked at the scattered papers. Two calendars had been knocked down. One showed a picture of a pack of wolves. He looked at it thoughtfully before turning to the other calendar. This one had an artist's rendition of a Chinese-style dragon. Horvath grinned.

"Sweet," he said, tapping it with his cane.

.

.

.

Dave knew he shouldn't be running. He had spent the second half of his life training in case he met Horvath or someone like him. A lot had happened since he had last seen him; ten years for one. Inside of those ten years he had seen things that would curdle the blood of most people.

However, he had never been quite so scared as he was when he had first encountered Horvath. Because when he was ten, when he had first seen what Horvath could do, Dave had had no powers. He'd kicked and flailed but been completely powerless. Horvath had hit him on the head to knock him out because he kept screaming. He'd been kind enough to wake him up when he cut him down his forearm to collect his blood though.

In short Horvath scared the hell out of him. No matter how many spells he accumulated he somehow always knew he'd freeze if he ever encountered Horvath. On a few occasions he'd tried to articulate this to Balthazar. In the end he hadn't, because he hadn't wanted his Master to be disappointed in him. It didn't look like it mattered much anyway, because he was still running when he should be fighting.

Humiliation and shame welled up in him. They were almost as great as his fear. After everything he was still a little child. Was he really twenty? Then why did he feel like he was ten and hiding under his bed? Disgust joined the rest of the emotions as he reached the subway station near his house.

Somewhat exhausted he stopped and looked behind him. No one was following him. A new sort of shame welled up. Horvath hadn't even tried to chase him. He'd been trying to scare him, probably because he knew that he could. What sort of sorcerer was Dave if he couldn't even stand up to one Morganian? Bile rose into his throat.

Metal screeched from his right. Dave whipped around to see a Chinese-style dragon ripping through the ticket taker with a vengeance. It stopped and roared at him, spitting fire. Dave managed a shield and the flames went around him. Apparently Horvath wasn't **just** trying to scare him after all.

And yet, Horvath wasn't there. This wasn't Horvath that he was facing; just one of his creations. It was a creature like any other that he had faced in the past; although it was rather larger. On the plus size it wasn't dripping mucus though. He kept his shield up but narrowed his eyes. He was disgusted with himself, but also angry. Now there was something to take that anger out on.


	5. Chapter 5

Balthazar had already been on his way to Dave's when he heard the dragon roar. Dave had been running late and he figured that it was time to give the kid a talking to about keeping appointments. The arrival of the dragon did change things somewhat though. Balthazar looked up and grimaced as fire streaked the night sky.

"And this is how the kids celebrates his twentieth birthday," he muttered, quickening his pace.

As he broke into a run he snapped his fingers. A spark flew from them and disappeared into the night. New York was his city; he'd been there longer than any of its inhabitants. It moved with him and he was friends with the city's very bones. He just hoped that they'd remember and come to his aide in this particular instance. Like the people who lived there, New York could be prickly.

He ran to the other side of the subway station as the dragon stormed onto the platform completely. Dave was standing in front of it, his fists clenched. Balthazar's apprentice pushed his hands forward and flung a plasma bolt at it. The dragon reared back and Dave made another one in quick succession. While it was reeling from shock Dave flung himself underneath it and used fire to scorch its stomach.

Balthazar suddenly realized that he wasn't needed. Dave was more than capable of fighting his own battles these days and, though it gave him a pang inside his chest, Dave was grown up. So he leaned up against the subway terminal. It was good work, especially for someone who had never faced a dragon before. He'd taught Dave to be prepared for any occasion and apparently his lessons had worked. Silently he congratulated himself.

The dragon's tail flailed out but Dave wasn't with in its range. He weaved between the dragon's legs and shot a continuous stream of fire at it, followed by two plasma bolts. The dragon burst into pieces of shredded paper, each one slightly singed or on fire. Dave wiped a sheen of sweat off his forehead and glared at Balthazar.

"How long have you been there?" he demanded.

"Couple of minutes," Balthazar shrugged.

"And you just stood there and watched?" said Dave, "Are you insane?"

Balthazar looked off into the distance, thoughtful. Then he held up his fingers an inch apart.

"Little bit," Dave muttered, "Okay."

He ran a hand through his sweaty hair.

"Should have known."

"It was good work," said Balthazar, "You did well."

"No thanks to you."

"No thanks to me," Balthazar repeated, incredulous, "And all those years where I trained you weren't helpful? Because I think they were. Am I wrong?"

Dave threw his hands into the air.

"Yes, you fought by yourself," continued Balthazar, "You didn't need my help."

He received more silence in response.

"That's as it should be," he said, "You're twenty aren't you? What do you want me to do, fight your battles for you forever?"

"Of course not," snapped Dave.

The venom in his voice made Balthazar step back. Dave was flushed. Something was wrong, and it wasn't just the dragon.

"Dave?" he asked, "What's wrong?"

From behind him he heard a noise.

"Him, him, HIM!" Dave yelled.

Balthazar turned around to see Horvath flinging a plasma bolt from his cane. Balthazar was surprised to see his old enemy there, but he was used to Horvath launching sneak attacks. He quickly threw a time displacement spell at him, encasing him completely. He stared at Horvath for a minute as the niggling feeling that he shouldn't have had to do that came to his mind.

The thought was interrupted when there was a loud crash from the subway tracks.

"Balthazar," said Dave, "Is that…a giant metal eagle?"

"Yes," Balthazar said shortly, "Thought we might need transportation."

Dave said nothing as they climbed aboard the eagle. It took off and headed towards the Empire State Building. Balthazar tightened his mouth into a tight line.

"That was Horvath," he said.

"Yeah," Dave said.

Balthazar gave a bitter laugh.

"Looks like he found us. Only took him, what, ten years? He's getting slow. A dragon seems a little ostentatious, even for him, but I suppose that it makes sense in a weird sort of way."

"Yeah."

"Lucky Morgana wasn't there."

"Um, yeah."

He rubbed his chin, trying to find the right way to phrase his next question.

"However," said Balthazar, "I have a feeling that perhaps **you** should have thrown that displacement spell. Why did you feel the need to tell me him instead of going after him yourself?"

"I…was confused…" mumbled Dave.

That was a little much.

"Dave, you took down a dragon tonight and you couldn't spare enough mental energy to throw a plasma bolt at Horvath?" demanded Balthazar.

"Well-"

"I know you've got the power to incapacitate him," Balthazar said, not adding that Dave could probably do more than that.

"I couldn't think-"

"You lost your focus, is that what you're trying to tell me?"

Dave squirmed.

"I didn't…I couldn't…"

"What do you think I've been teaching you magic for, some little girl's tea party?" snapped Balthazar.

"I was scared!" Dave shouted.

Balthazar's heart sank.

"I was scared…" Dave repeated, this time his voice a whisper.

That had been the last thing that Balthazar had expected. It was also the worst thing that Dave could have possibly said. 

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: _**_Little bit of trouble with the internet access. Most of the updates might be later on in the day, but they're still going to be daily. Thanks for the reviews! _


	6. Chapter 6

Balthazar didn't say another word as they made thier way to the Arcana Cabana. Dave felt miserable the entire time, wishing he had lied. It would have been better if he had. That way no one would have to know of his cowardice and Balthazar wouldn't be giving him that look. Instead he had, in keeping with his past of messing things up, stuttered and given him the humiliating truth.

When they opened the Arcana Cabana Balthazar jerked his head.

"Downstairs. Subway turnaround."

Dave nodded and they headed downstairs. He wanted so badly to say something but he felt cowed by the events of that night. Balthazar led him into the subway turnaround. He held out a hand for him to stay at the entrance and then stood in the middle of the room. Shoving his hands into his pockets Balthazar said;

"You were scared."

Still feeling shame Dave nodded.

"Why?" asked Balthazar.

Biting his lip Dave looked at the Tesla Coils that surrounded the room. Balthazar had allowed him to keep them there. Ever since his sophomore year they had been a constant fixture. Over the years he had worked on them extensively and they had grown in size and power. Working on them was theraputic and they were a comforting presence, but he knew they held no answers.

"Balthazar, the first time I met Horvath I was ten," Dave said, "I was helpless. Sure I kicked him around a bit but he sliced open my arm and my leg."

"That was ten years ago," said Balthazar, "The last time we faced him I had to drag you away."

He took a deep breath.

"I…you were there," he said, "I thought you were going to take care of it. And…I didn't want to show you how scared I was. Tonight…it just came out."

"Hm," Balthazar said, "That certainly explains why you got so hysterical when **I **ran. You thought I'd show you that he could be beaten, was that it?"

"Yes and no."

Balthazar raised his eyebrow.

"You don't get it," said Dave, frustrated, "Whether or not I can beat him isn't really the issue. When I got kidnapped…that…that was the first time when I knew I was going to die. And every time I see him I feel that again. Even the thought of going up against him makes me break out into a cold sweat."

His Master frowned and took his hands out of his pockets.

"You didn't die."

"No," agreed Dave, "But I thought I was going to."

"So?"

"So there was just this feeling of despair," Dave said, "He bled me while explaining in detail what was going to happen to me. Then he left me for **hours **and I knew there was nothing I could do to save myself. It got dark but no one was coming and-"

Balthazar's face remained blank and Dave stopped.

"You still don't understand," he said, "You've never been helpless. You've never gone through that hell."

Something sparked in Balthazar's eyes.

"You know **nothing **of hell," he said.

Dave blinked and took a step back. He'd never heard Balthazar speak with that edge to his voice. He'd heard him angry and disappointed, but he'd never heard venom. His Master closed his eyes briefly and pinched the bridge of his nose. When he opened his eyes the spark had gone. Instead there was a deep sadness.

"I have felt that Dave, despite what you seem to think," he said, "Because once upon a time I failed to save someone and my failure has been something I've been forced to live with for decades. You don't know what I have and haven't felt Dave, and I wish to God that you never go through what I have."

Sighing Balthazar stepped back into the Merlin's Circle that had been etched in the middle of the subway turnaround all those years ago. Green flames spread into the etchings, lighting up the symbols that Dave knew so well. Balthazar stood amidst the flames, gazing at him with a tired but strangely understanding expression.

"You were traumatized," he said, "But when you entered this circle you took an oath. You have to get past this, because Horvath's not going to stop this time. Morgana's probably with him and facing her will be unlike anything you've ever imagined. Last time we ran, but now things are different."

"What's changed?" asked Dave.

Balthazar gave him an even look.

"You."

"What?"

"You're no longer an apprentice who knows only a handful of spells," Balthazar said, "Now you can defend yourself and hence you have a responsibility to both yourself and the order."

Balthazar stepped outside of the circle. The flames died down.

"In an hour I'm going to come back," he said quietly, "If you're still in then we're going to do some more training. I suggest you think on it."

Head bowed Balthazar left the room. Dave watched him leave, a lump forming in his throat. Balthazar's footsteps were dying when Dave climbed the stairs to his control panel and programed his Tesla coils. They had given him so much comfort over the past few years; there was no reason why they shouldn't now.

He turned them on and, for good measure, turned the radio on too. It was Becky's show and he let her voice mix with the sounds of his plasma coils. The coils sparked when the music started, lighting up the room with blue light. He rested his hands on the rail of his cage and listened.

_I need another story, something to get off my chest. My life gets kinda boring, need something that I can confess._

As the music continued to play he cocked his head. The sparks were making some sort of noise too, blending with the music. However, they were forming a sound and a music all their own. All those years he'd worked on that project; couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it sooner.

_Til' all my sleeves are stained red, from all the truth that I've said. Come by it honestly I swear, thought you saw me wink no, I've been on the brink._

If something he worked on every day had escaped his notice, then what else had? Apparently he hadn't noticed that he wasn't ten anymore. He was twenty and Balthazar had been training him all that time. Together they'd locked away Morganian sorcerers who had threatened the safety of his world. He'd battled mythological creatures both with and without his Master. He'd just killed a damn dragon under an hour ago, by **himself**.

_So tell me what you want to hear, something that were like those years, sick of all the insincere, so I'm gonna give all my secrets away._

His grip on the rail tightened. After fighting all of that how dare Horvath be the thing he was afraid of? Dave looked up and let the music flood him. Electricity swirled all around him, blurring his vision but allowing him to see clearly for the first time in years. Balthazar had been right to be confused; there was no reason to be afraid of Horvath. Not anymore.

_This time, don't need another perfect lie, don't care if critics ever jump in line, I'm gonna give all my secrets away. _


	7. Chapter 7

"And he killed the dragon?"

"Yes," Horvath said, "Unassisted."

Morgana's nails dug into plush cover of the sofa she was sitting on. Her lips were bloodless and her whole face was full of wrinkles. Even her red hair had taken a white tint in recent years. The longevity spells weren't working the way they used to, and they had to do them more frequently to avoid her turning into ash. Horvath wondered if she was dying for real this time, but he kept such thoughts to himself.

"It might be worth noting, my lady," said Horvath, "That he still had his ring on when he was using magic. He has not yet reached the level where-"

"Or he could just be wearing it because it is a sign of Merlin's power," Morgana snapped, "Unlike you I am not comforted by this. You should have tried harder to kill him when he was younger."

Horvath bit back a sneer. The closest he had ever gotten to killing him had been when he planned to drain him for Morgana's continuing youth. Back then he hadn't known that the boy was the Prime Merlinian. Dave had just been a plucky and incredibly squeaky child with no respect.

Once again he thought it best to hold his tongue. He did add a shamed head bow. Morgana's nails were very close to ripping open the fabric of the couch. He had seen those nails rip through skin on several occasions. He held no doubts; Morgana might be getting old but that didn't mean she was getting weaker.

"But I don't think he's opened the Grimhold yet," said Morgana, "Because then Veronica would have rushed to his side too."

That was probably true. Horvath definitely would have noticed if Veronica had been there, and though it made him burn inside, he knew she'd follow Balthazar wherever he went.

"So we have some time. Not much, but a little."

She tapped her lips thoughtfully. It sounded like chalk hitting paper.

"You told me that you recruited a local Morganian," Morgana said.

Wincing Horvath said;

"He's not what you call, orthodox…"

"He will do fine for the time being," Morgana said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "Do we know where the Prime Merlinian frequents?"

Reaching into his pocket Horvath took out an NYU Student Store Discount card. He threw it onto the coffee table.

"I found this in his apartment. He goes to school at a local university."

Morgana frowned. She didn't keep a hand on current events or developments, believing it wasn't worthy of her attention. Horvath knew that it would serve as her Achilles' heel, but she had him to organize things for her. It was just another way that he proved how useful he was to her, how she couldn't work without him.

"It's a school of higher learning."

She snorted.

"It shouldn't be too hard to find him there," said Horvath.

"Good," said "This new Morganain, his name is Drake is it?"

"Yes," Horvath said.

"An interesting name," said Morgana, "He would, I think, act as a nice guard."

"What do you mean?" asked Horvath.

Morgana smiled, displaying her fang-like teeth.

"I think it's time we had a little chat with the Prime Merlinian. Make sure he can't be persuaded that his best interests lie elsewhere."

.

.

.

"Whoa."

"We're in for a long night," Balthazar said, taking his eight sandwiches out of a large bag, "We've some busy days ahead of us and it's going to be important to eat up; get your energy going."

Dave nodded before taking a big bite of his sandwich. Upon going back into the subway turnaround Balthazar had been relieved to find his apprentice was still there. He had hoped that he would be; but Balthazar's hopes had gone unfulfilled so often in the past that he didn't have much faith in them.

His spirits had lifted even higher when Dave had looked up. His face had been grim and set. He'd said, in no uncertain terms;

"Let's do this."

They had settled down to several hours of work. Balthazar had even made some holographic images of Horvath. Dave had hesitated for a minute before attacking them. The more they fought the more confident he became. If Dave was scared then he was learning to work through his fear.

"That's all bravery is in the end," Balthazar had reassured him, "Working through fear."

As he took a bite of his own sandwich Balthazar looked at his apprentice with pride. Everything he had seen over the past hours had been a testament to the character Balthazar was sure had been developing. He had been scared in the past but he was now confident that Dave would never let himself get caught in that situation again.

There was only one last thing puzzling him about that night.

"Is there something special about this particular bench?" he asked.

Dave squirmed. Just then the doors to the building across from them opened. A pretty blonde girl about Dave's age walked out. Balthazar didn't give her much thought, until he saw Dave's expression. It was a mixture between infatuation and love, attraction and wanting. He'd seen it enough in the mirror to know what it was.

"Oh no," he moaned.

"It's Becky," Dave said excitedly, "Can you believe it's her? I saw her this morning and she recognized me. I didn't think she would after all these years but-"

"Dave, I think it's very interesting that you've found your childhood crush again," Balthazar said, ignoring the surprised look on Dave's face, "But if Morgana catches you on the street with her then you're dead. Is she worth that?"

Dave sent a longing look after her. Then he scrambled up.

"Don't eat my sandwich," he ordered.

Balthazar watched him go, feeling dismayed and frustrated. It was happening all over again.

"Why was I even concerned?" he muttered to himself.


	8. Chapter 8

"Becky!"

She turned around, surprised. She didn't stop entirely since she didn't want to appear too eager. However, she made sure that it was easy for him to catch up with her.

"Dave, are you stalking me?" she quipped.

To her delight his cheeks reddened.

"Not in a threatening way," Dave said.

Becky smiled. Maybe he was more interested than he had seemed earlier.

"You headed to the subway?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Oh, good, because I was headed that way too," he said.

He fell into step beside her. Her mind flickered through things she could say without sounding like an idiot. There were so many questions she wanted to ask. First of all, had he been in New York all that time? Obviously he had been learning magic all that time, but what else had he been doing? And then there was the big question; had he thought of her even once?

It seemed silly, she knew that, and she'd be dead before she would put that question to him outright. Yet, during those years she had thought of him. All of her friends had been distant and her parents had been going through a divorce. She'd had no one she could talk to and had yearned for the camaraderie she had once had.

Becky was well aware that yearning for that was natural. Being alone made you wish for when you hadn't been. However, actually meeting him now left her a little tongue-tied. There was so much she could say or do that she wondered which topic to broach first. For instance, there was the old necklace he'd made her that she kept in her pocket. It had become a sort of lucky charm, but she didn't want to sound weird by bringing it up.

Instead she said;

"So, you left in a hurry earlier."

Now that sounded like an accusation. Great job Becky.

"Yeah, magical related incident," Dave said.

"Really?" she asked.

It would be easier if he broached the topic.

"Sort of," he explained, "I had to go talk to Balthazar about something."

She drew a blank before remembering the imposing man who had adopted Dave.

"He's definitely not your uncle, right?" asked Becky.

"No, he's not. But it hasn't been bad these past few years. Not bad at all."

Dave coughed and dipped his head. She suddenly realized that he might be nervous too. The realization almost made her laugh; but then she thought about it. Dave had always been a little awkward when they were younger. How much had time changed? He had always been a little more awkward around her too.

A wave of confidence washed into her. They walked down the stairs to the station and Becky resisted the urge to take them two at a time; skipping.

"I, um, I listened to your show last night," Dave said.

"Oh?" asked Becky, "How'd you like it?"

"I didn't recognize any of the bands, which is probably a good indication that they're cool," he said.

She laughed. The honesty in his voice was somehow reassuring. However awkward he may appear he was at least trying to be himself with her. She liked that.

"I was wondering if-"

He was interrupted as a man came towards them with a knife. Becky stumbled backwards. She'd been warned that the subways could be dangerous places and that she should carry pepper spray. Yet, she'd been in the city for two years and never been mugged. Her pepper spray was in the bottom of her purse. This was her first time in such a situation and she couldn't help the panic that came to her.

Dave stepped forward. He was practically rolling his eyes as he pushed his palm against the mugger's arm. The mugger was pushed back and skidded on the floor a few feet away. He hit his head on the tile just as two policemen came running into the terminal. The older of the two reached the mugger first and pulled him up.

"There you are!" he snapped, "Thought you'd lost us, did you?"

The younger reached Dave and Becky.

"Anyone hurt?" he asked, "Anything taken?"

Becky shook her head numbly.

"He tripped pretty quickly," Dave stepped in, "Then you two came in."

The policeman doffed his cap.

"Don't think you'll need to give a statement then," he said, "Sorry you kids had to get involved in this. Have a nice night."

The policeman went over to where his partner had cuffed the man. Together they led him away. As soon as they were out of earshot Becky whipped around to Dave.

"That guy was huge!" she said.

"I've been doing a lot of cardio lately," Dave said, "Say hello to thunder-"

He made one fist and brandished it.

"-and lightning."

The second fist had a ring on it in the shape of a dragon. She noticed that it was still glowing. Becky looked up at Dave, who winked at her.

"There's something different about you," she said, "But…I'm glad a lot's still the same."

He blinked. His mouth opened and she didn't know what he was going to say. Luckily she was saved by the train. Feeling strange she smiled at Dave again as the doors opened.

"Well, thanks," she said.

"Oh, hey," Dave said as she got into the train, "if you needed help with Physics I could tutor you say, tomorrow at six?"

This was definitely a positive sign.

"Yeah, of course," she said.

"Alright," Dave said, "It's a date."

His face froze up as the doors closed. Becky looked at him with interest as the doors closed.

"Like an appointment!" he insisted, "A date like an appointment!"

As the train pulled away she grinned to herself. A date like an appointment? She didn't believe a word of it.


	9. Chapter 9

"Like an appointment!" he insisted, "A date like an appointment!"

That sounded weak even to his ears. Of course he'd love to go on a date with her, but asking so soon and in such an awkward fashion was unbelievable. He knew he had no social skills but he'd hoped to be able to ask her out with a little more finesse. If she'd still been there then he'd be blushing furiously. As it was he just felt like he'd happily sink into the pavement. Still, she'd said yes so it hadn't been a total loss.

Dave watched wistfully as the train pulled away. Heading downtown was the girl of his dreams, and one he felt he hadn't acted completely stupid in front of. He went over the encounter in his mind. In fact he was sure he'd managed to impress her. Becky had smiled a lot, something he treasured. It brought to mind the girl who'd stolen his heart when he was a lonely little boy in an orphanage, still mourning his parents.

He still remembered being cloistered in the library. Outside were the other children. Most of them were too loud for him, too rough. The boys hadn't really welcomed Dave and he could see why. Even then he knew he bruised too easily and was weak. He had a feeling that he was set for a crash course of geekdom. As he had learned through the course of his teenage years; he'd been spot on.

Then the door had opened quietly. He'd looked up but he hadn't been able to see anyone. Then the door had shut again, still quietly. There had been a few soft footsteps. Dave had known that they'd been getting closer to him but he'd ignored them. After a little bit he'd heard the footsteps stopped. He'd felt eyes on him but he continued to pretend to read.

Finally he'd looked up to see bright blue eyes staring at him. He'd shrunk away from her then. Not only was she a stranger, but she was also a girl. Dave had practically hid behind his book after that. However, her persistence had her talking to him soon. He was sure that was when he'd fallen for her. Though he'd been only ten, and immature to boot, he had been crushing on her something awful.

They'd played games together and he'd shown her faeries. Most of thier games had been the fantasty games of children. He'd loved playing princes and princesses because that was what he saw her as. She was a fairytale in and of herself.

To have all of those feelings reignited after ten years felt strange. Dave had matured a lot since the last time he'd seen her. He no longer saw things in terms of princes and princesses. Now he saw her as a woman he'd like to get to know, to touch her face and tell her how he felt about her. He'd like to listen to her talk about anything and everything. In truth, he'd like to love her. If she'd let him of course.

It's not like anything could really go wrong, could it?

"Love is a distraction."

He nearly jumped out of his skin. Turning around he saw Balthazar staring stony-faced at the retreating train. His tone was derisive and a little angry. It was like he was answering the question that Dave had been asking himself. Sometimes he wondered if his Master really could read minds.

"You followed me?" asked Dave.

"Of course I did," Balthazar said, "You don't think that after that dragon incident I'd let you wander around alone did you?"

Wasn't this wonderfully convoluted? It was like one of those old Zen proverbs; turn right to turn left or something.

"What happened to fight your own fights?" asked Dave, "'cause right now you are sending me some seriously mixed signals."

"I never said you had to fight them alone," Balthazar said, "I just said that you might have to one day. I might be injured or get myself killed."

Dave flinched from that. Balthazar had done such a good job surviving over the years that Dave couldn't see him dying. He really couldn't and the mental image warped his world view.

"Or not," Balthazar said, not noticing Dave's discomfort, "I might be busy or it might just come down to you and Horvath for all I know. We don't know so the best thing to do is just be prepared."

He shrugged.

"Besides, two against one isn't fair. And believe me when I say that that's what it'll be if Morgana and Horvath catch you," said Balthazar, "Even though I'd count Morgana as something closer to a cumulative of fifty people."

"What?"

"We're not exactly defenseless," said Balthazar, "I'd count us each as more than one person, but fighting Morgana is generally equivalent to one against fifty."

He shrugged again.

"Besides, it's my fight too."

His tone was steely. Dave knew better than to press the conversation with him when he sounded like that. It made sense. Morgana had murdered his Master and Horvath had betrayed him. This fight was more Balthazar's then Dave. It made him wonder why he spoke like he saw Dave as the major player in it all.

It was probably just his imagination.

"So don't let your time with your girlfriend get to your head Dave," Balthazar said, "Horvath and Morgana are still out there."

What was he eight and with poor short term memory? As if he could forget the last few hours of his life.

"I know that," Dave said, rolling his eyes, "I know that I need to keep 'my head in the game' or whatever. And believe me, I wish she-"

Dave paused. A thought had occurred to him.

"Girlfriend, really?" he said, smiling, "You get that kind of vibe from us?"

Balthazar turned his stony glance towards him. He felt his smile slipping off his face, but nothing was going to ruin this for him.

"Dave," said Balthazar warningly.

"She's the one Balthazar," Dave said, his voice sounding stubborn and difficult even to his ears, "She really is."

"Whatever you say," said Balthazar, "But you've still got a lot of training to do before you're ready to face Morgana and Horvath."

He jerked his head towards the exit.

"Come on 'thunder and lightning'." 

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: _**_I'm not going to be able to post tomorrow, so I'm posting two chapters today. See you all again Monday!_


	10. Chapter 10

Becky knew he was interested in her. How could she not have noticed? It was in his puppy dog eyes and his inarticulate mannerisms. She knew now that things weren't as hopeless as they'd once appeared. That was why she knew that 'help you with your physics' really meant 'spend more time with you.'

That was why she hadn't even brought her physics book. Becky knocked on the door to the subway turnaround and heard a crash.

"Dave?" she called.

There was a scrambling and a brief argument. Then the door jerked open to reveal a rather harried Dave

"Oh, hi," said Dave, "I uh-"

"Dave," came a deep voice, "is that **company **I hear?"

The word 'company' was said with deep distaste. Becky looked past Dave to see Balthazar trudging up the stairs.

"Hello Balthazar," Becky said, "I'm-"

"Becky, I know," said Balthazar.

His eyes looked her over once.

"You're taller now," he said at last.

She frowned but didn't say anything. Balthazar turned to Dave.

"I thought we were training all day," he said, "For the whole 'magical emergency' that's sort of important."

Balthazar inclined his head to Becky.

"Could be the end the world."

She felt her heart sink. Of course he would have something more important going on. He was a sorcerer after all and- did he say the end of the world?

"Okay, I can see this is a bad time-" she started.

"It's not the actual end of the world," Dave said, "He's grossly exaggerating. Not really an emergency either. Aren't you?"

Balthazar gave him an intense look.

"Fine," he said, "I needed to pick up your anti-itch cream anyway."

He wriggled past Becky and left the room. Dave threw his hands up in the air.

"He's really difficult," he said, "And I don't need anti-itch cream."

"Mmmhm," said Becky, coming in and shutting the door behind her, "He seems nice. Must have been an interesting ten years."

"It was," Dave said darkly.

They stared at each other awkwardly for a moment.

"Oh," said Dave, "There's something I want to show you."

Dave hurried down the stairs. Becky watched in puzzlement as he started levitating large pieces of equipment around like it was a commonplace happening. The last thing he put in place was what looked like a cage. He stepped inside and started to type away on some of the keys. When he was finished he motioned for Becky.

She went down the stairs, wondering what on earth was going on.

"You should probably step into my cage now," he said.

Becky smiled.

"First time I've heard that one."

"I'm not surprised."

Nonetheless she stepped inside.

"You should hold onto that bar there."

She did so; the set-up looked intimidating enough without disobeying his instructions. He tapped a few more keys on his computer and the lights dimmed. Then what looked like lightning whizzed by, making a sound and sending a shower of sparks into the air. Becky jumped and drew back as another and another struck.

"This magic?" she asked uncertainly.

"Science is kind of magic, but it's just Tesla coils," Dave said, "They going at such a speed and frequency that they make sounds. Watch this."

He tapped a few more keys and the bolts changed patterns. She listened for a minute before her mouth dropped open in realization.

"You really were listening!" she said.

Dave laughed.

"These coils are my life," he explained, "Four years I'm down here working with them and they're making their own music, and it was lost on me and I was never able to appreciate it, until I met you."

Becky felt her breath hitch.

"And I heard you talking about music on your radio show…"

He sighed.

"I'm sappy."

She stared at him and bit her lip. An urge to kiss his awkward smirk off his face came over her. If she had known him for less time than she had then she would have dismissed it. However, she did know him. She'd known him since they were little. And now she felt ready to take a chance.

Boosting herself on her toes she put her hands behind the back of his head. His eyes grew wide which was the last thing she saw before she kissed him. At first nothing happened and she was afraid that she'd made a mistake. Then his lips started to move beneath hers, a hand brushing hair away from her face. Definitely a good decision.

.

.

.

Balthazar opened up the small compartment in the basement of the Arcana Cabana. He gently touched the surface of the Grimhold with her picture on it before putting it down. With some more rummaging he took out a small bundle of cloth. Balthazar unfolded it to reveal a necklace.

"It's for your," he explained, "Just like everything is."

He swallowed.

"That kid. He's never reminded me of myself more than now with Becky. I just wish ou could be here."

Putting the necklace back in the cloth he leaned back.

"His powers are growing though," he explained, "I don't know when he'll be able to take the ring off and do magic that way but…"

His voice trailed off. He swallowed again.

"…but maybe he'll be able to free you soon," he finished, "And I hope he can. God knows we've waited long enough."


	11. Chapter 11

"I got kissed by a girl 'cause I'm, awesome!" Dave sang.

The bathroom wasn't the best place to blare personal triumphs, but he couldn't stop himself. He could still feel her on her lips. She tasted like cherry, probably due to her lip gloss. Dave didn't care though. He'd kissed her or rather, she'd kissed **him**. Becky had wanted to kiss him and he'd managed to not embarrass himself. Sure it had been a little awkward afterwards, but it had been wonderful.

At the time Dave had decided to keep to himself that it had been his first kiss. He was still trying to impress her, and it hadn't worked out so bad. She'd allowed him to walk her to her yoga class and then she'd said yes to a date. An actual date. With him. No Tesla coils involved, although he'd have to make a note of the fact that they'd prompted her to kiss him.

Just as he was finishing up he heard;

"So you're the Prime Merlinian, eh?"

Dave turned. A man about his age was standing there. His outfit was black and yet, somehow sparkly. He made a face. In his experience it was a bad thing if a number of piercings outdid how old someone was. There was also this strange two-tone thing that was happening with his hair. It reminded him of some sort of emo band, not that he'd ever been interested in that sort of thing. Balthazar would have killed him if he had.

"Excuse me?" asked Dave.

"Well-" the man started.

He paused and cocked his head at Dave.

"Oh my God," he said.

"What?" asked Dave, "Who are you?"

"You seriously don't recognize me?" the man asked.

He thought back to his earlier guess.

"Are you from Depeche Mode?" he asked hesitantly.

"Dave, I'm hurt," Dave said, rolling his eyes, "England, be 'bout eight years ago."

His eyes focused and Drake grinned.

"Drake?" he asked, flinching, "The hell are you doing in America?"

Drake's grin widened. The feeling most definitely was not mutual. Drake was a bully who'd tried to beat him up several times and verbally abused him at others. His last memory of him was in fact, nearly being blasted by him, and then saving him from a wolf. It wasn't the most endearing memory.

"Ask meself that every mornin'. Probably 'cause of how cheap it is," Drake said.

The ensuing silence was awkward. Dave cleared his throat. He should probably say something.

"So, um, what've you been doing since, you know?"

"Oh nuthin' much. Gettin' famous, becomin' a Morganian, that sort o' thing," shrugged Drake.

Dave nodded and then thought over what had just been said.

"Wait, what?" asked Dave.

"Enough," Horvath said, pushing Drake aside, "Make sure we're not disturbed."

Drake sent a look of distaste at Horvath and an apologetic one at Dave. Then he turned on his heel and walked out of the room. Dave put two fingers to his temples. While he was certainly shocked to see two of his childhood headaches in a room together, he was getting over it. Dave was going to work through his fear this time. He'd prove to Balthazar this time that he wasn't afraid of Horvath anymore.

He waited as Horvath stared at him evenly.

"What?" asked Dave, "You gonna try to kill me or something, because there are much better things that I could be doing right now."

"No, I'm not. This is a dismal bathroom. Not very classy. No, I'm just here to talk."

Horvath's lips formed a crocodile smile.

"Or rather, she is."

The door opened and a harpy-like woman walked in. Everything about her was wrinkled and dry, like she would crack with a misstep. Even though she had grown more brittle with the years he recognized her; Morgana. Instinctively he took a step back and he folded his hand palm out. His ring began to glow.

"Oh please," she rasped, "None of that for now."

Morgana stepped in front of Horvath and smiled. It looked horrific.

"David, why did you become a Merlinian?"

He frowned.

"How does this-?"

"Why did you become a Merlinian?" asked Morgana, "No, let me answer that for you. You became a Merlinian because Balthazar picked you up one day."

The glow in his ring didn't abate.

"No," he said, "I became a Merlinian because I found out Morganians drain blood from children."

Her smile widened.

"There are advantages to doing such," she said, "But don't worry; we don't all have to rub the blood of the young into our skin to live on. Some of us have more potential."

Dave was very uncomfortable. He wondered if he could take the two of them together, but he doubted it. His eyes flickered to the door. Where was Balthazar when you needed him?

"What, you think your Master's going to come in here and help you?" asked Morgana, "Even the odds a bit? You've put your faith in the wrong man. Balthazar's a shell of what he was. He lost his fire the night I stormed the keep. That's why he's been running ever since; find the Prime Merlinian and keep going. He's given up."

Rage simmered under his surface. Balthazar had raised him, and he wasn't going to let him be insulted by Morganians.

"Like you'd know anything about-" Dave snapped.

All of Morgana's words registered.

"What?"

"He hasn't told you?" asked Morgana, "How droll. You've put your faith in the wrong man sweetheart."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Dave said.

Horvath inclined his head in a twisted parody of academia.

"Let me put it this way," Horvath said, "have you ever been in love David?"

Immediately his thoughts went to Becky.

"Oh, he's in love now," said Horvath to Morgana, "I can see it in his eyes."

He opened his mouth to speak but Horvath talked over him.

"Shut up," he said, "I wonder what would happen if you lost her?"

His mind exploded. Images of Becky inundated him; Becky playing with faeries as a child, walking in the rain with him, her face when he made the Tesla coils sing for her, her soft lips under his. Horvath's words echoed over it all. Dave's eyes narrowed into a glare. Morgana noticed and frowned, but Horvath kept talking.

"You'd be no better than the rest of us."

The glow in Dave's ring intensified. He'd had enough.


	12. Chapter 12

Balthazar trusted Dave. He knew that he wouldn't get into trouble intentionally. That was, of course, the problem. His apprentice was a trouble magnet. If anything could possibly go wrong then it would. Knowing him he'd probably get discovered by Horvath and Morgana the second he stepped out without Balthazar there. It was just the way things were.

So as soon as he tucked away his remembrances of Veronica he set out. It was sad how predictable Dave was. He was simply mooning around Becky, unable to leave her side for the simplest of things. Every now and then he noticed that Dave would reach out to touch her hair ro something. So they were in a relationship now were they? Things moved fast.

To anyone else it would have looked like a normal scene. To Balthazar it seemed like a volcano of potential trouble. Dave was walking around in the open practically screaming out his location. He might as well have painted a target on both his back and Becky's. He would have to have a talk with him.

Despite his worry he also tried to keep his distance from him. What was happening with Becky was private. Balthazar felt wrong to be tailing him at all. It put him in mind of the way Horvath had followed him and Veronica. Not that he was tailing the two lovers for the same reason, but it still felt wrong to him.

That was why he kept too much of a distance and lost him on the corner of fifth. Inwardly he cursed himself, even though he knew he couldn't have done a better job without being intrusive. After a few minutes of wandering blindly he saw a nearby NYU building. Seeing it as his best shot he'd gone in, knowing deep in the pit of his stomach that something had gone wrong.

So he'd been unsurprised to find a goth reject in front of the bathroom door. Everyone else had gone into class and the hall was empty, all except him. Although he didn't know who the man was he did know one thing about him; he sure wasn't good at looking nonchalant. He had been posted there to keep anyone from being nosy.

He was figuring out the best way to take him out when there was a flash of blue light under the door. Electricity sparked inside, crackling loudly. The man turned to look at it and Balthazar took him out with a plasma bolt. He stepped on him in his hurry to get to the door. Balthazar made an effort to put all of his weight on that foot; he had never had much regard for the rights of Morganians.

Shoving the door open his stomach churned. Horvath had been thrown into the wall and lay slumped on the ground. There were cracks in the tiles behind him where his impact had shattered them. Morgana was still very much conscious though, and she was fighting. He momentarily felt repulsed by seeing her in the men's restroom, but he decided to keep a lid on it. More important things were happening.

Dave was trying to keep up with her, but Balthazar could see that his shields were weakening. He should never have tried to go up against Morgana alone. He wasn't ready yet, although Balthazar noted that he was doing a better job than he himself would have been able to. Now if he could just become powerful enough to use some offensive magic while keeping up his shields.

"Dave!" he yelled out over the noise, "You should run!"

Both Morgana and Dave turned. In that second he realized just how exposed he'd made himself. However, thirteen hundred years of conditioning weren't for nothing. He'd had experiences where he'd done stupid things and then had to compensate for them seconds afterwards. He threw up a shield just before Morgana threw a fire bolt at him.

That was just the first step though. His ring glowed and he dropped his shield. Then he released a thick cloud of smoke into the room. Immediately both Morgana and Dave started to cough. Balthazar covered his mouth with his sleeve and stumbled through. He couldn't see anything but he was used to trusting other senses. Within a few minutes of fumbling he had Dave by the sleeve and had pulled him out the door.

Dave began to cough, but Balthazar kept pulling him towards a spare room. He magically unlocked the door just as the bathroom door was flung open. Balthazar managed to shove Dave and himself inside just before Morgana came out. They stayed low until Morgana's clacking heels faded into the distance. Only then did he allow himself to breathe easy.

"You got a shot at Horvath," Balthazar said, trying to keep his voice from sounding raspy, "Nice one."

"Couldn't get Morgana," said Dave.

"Don't think…you're quite ready for her yet," gasped Balthazar.

They took another few minutes to take some more oxygen in.

"Pretty powerful spell, crack the tiles like that," he said.

"He threatened Becky," Dave said.

His eyebrows shot up. He knew that something was going to go wrong with her.

"He knows who she is?" he asked, "Damn it Dave, you shouldn't have been walking out in the open with her."

Dave rolled his eyes.

"No, he doesn't know who she was. I don't think they were following me exactly."

"If he doesn't know who she is then how do you know she was threatened?" demanded Balthazar.

"He was using hypotheticals, alright?" said Dave, his voice terse, "Asked me what I'd do if I lost someone I loved. That sort of thing."

That was something else then. He felt himself relax.

"Well, Horvath's moral compass doesn't exactly point north."

Dave turned his head and glared at him.

"Well what about yours?"

"Excuse me?" asked Balthazar.

"You heard me," he said, "This guy in there called me the Prime Merlinian. What's that?"

All of the tension returned. He cursed Horvath, Morgana, and just about anything else he could think of.

"Start being straight with me why don't you?" said Dave.

Balthazar swallowed. The dread that had been building up for ten years came to him in a rush as Dave looked at him with cold eyes. It reminded him of when he'd explained his age to him, who he was. The only difference was that Dave had been confused. This time a spark of anger was reflected in his eyes.

"Alright…alright," he said, "Just...let's get home. And when we do…just listen alright?"

Although his glare didn't lessen, Dave nodded.


	13. Chapter 13

"-and he would inherit his dragon ring," finished Balthazar.

Dave ran his thumb over his ring. It was almost too much to take in, too much to understand. **He** was supposed to save the world? If Merlin had been so smart then he would have picked someone who could actually save the world. He wouldn't pick someone who looked like he belonged in the IT department of some big business building.

Sure he was good at magic, but Prime Merlinian? Oh yes, he knew he was powerful. Dave wasn't conceited; just smart enough to recognize it has a fact. Morgana, the most powerful evil sorcerer in all of history, had not been able to kill him right off the bat. He'd fought magical creatures from all around the world. He'd been trained by Balthazar Blake, who had apparently been trained by Merlin himself.

As soon as he thought this part of him wanted to hit himself. When he put it like that it was obvious that he was some sort of hero. Why else had all these extraordinary events happened to him? Why else would the Great Balthazar Blake run off with him the moment there was a whiff of danger? He wasn't a coward. He just hadn't been able to risk Dave's safety. So even for a sorcerer he'd had an unconventional rearing and childhood.

Which brought him to his next point; his childhood. Until he'd turned ten he'd just been another little boy in an orphanage. Sure he could see faeries and patterns in beads, but there was nothing that suggested he would be some sort of 'chosen one'. He was just different, different enough to be shunned and forgotten.

Then he'd been caught up in a struggle between sorcerers. When they'd come out victorious he'd been surprised by Balthazar's insistence that he get trained. Balthazar had seemed unsure about whether or not he himself was going to be doing the training. The minute the dragon statue turned into a ring he'd become certain though.

Something akin to betrayal welled up in him. He'd been following Balthazar blindly since he was ten. For half of his life he had looked up to him. He'd been more than just a master or a mentor to him. This man had taken care of him, raised him, and become the father he'd never known.

Dave had never articulated this and now he was glad that he hadn't. It would have just been embarrassing now.

"So for thirteen hundred years you've been looking for me so that I can 'save' humanity from Morgana," he said, his voice terse.

"That about sums it up," replied Balthazar.

He saw that Balthazar was tapping his fingers on the table they were seated at. Was he impatient? Dave's lip curled in disgust.

"First of all, it's not me," Dave said, "I'm pretty certain Merlin wouldn't have picked someone like me."

"What makes you so sure?" asked Balthazar, raising his eyebrow, "You never met him. You don't know what he would and wouldn't pick."

The familiar eyebrow raise infuriated him. He got up abruptly, scraping his chair across the floor. From his perch on the stairs Tank looked up and then flopped his head down on the ground. Balthazar looked taken aback by the sudden movement, but didn't get up. Dave began to pace back and forth furiously.

"Fine, you know what, I cede that," Dave said, "Because you know **so** much more than me apparently. Because you've actually met the guy. But if he did know that it was going to be me than he must have been an idiot."

"Because?"

"Because? To start with, look at me," Dave said, "You might not have noticed, in between all that other stuff you do, but I'm not exactly hero material."

"And what is hero material Dave?" asked Balthazar.

"Big, tall, strong, fairytale prince," he said.

"Dave," sighed Balthazar, "We have been over this in the past. It's not the biggest or the strongest in life who win. That's a Morganian belief. It's belief that makes someone strong. Heroes, great men and women, those are the people who know themselves-"

"I don't know myself," Dave said, "Apparently I don't even know who I am now, what I am."

He snorted.

"It's not a hero. A hero is the **exact **opposite of me," he snapped, "Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it is some weakling science geek."

"You're more than you seem, everyone is," Balthazar said.

"Is that a rule?" demanded Dave, "I'm so sick of rules. Rule number twenty, rule number thirty three. Here's a new one for you; a hero is not some stupid kid who's been lied to for half his life."

Something painful passed over Balthazar's face, but Dave barely registered it.

"I didn't lie to you," he said.

"No, but you sure as hell didn't tell me the truth! You kept things from me which is much worse!" Dave shouted, "All my life I'm this big important thing that's supposed to do earth-changing stuff, and you never even told me about it! Sure, when I was ten that's okay to not say anything but I'm twenty. Twenty!"

His hands clenched into fists.

"Tell me something Balthazar. If I wasn't the Prime Merlinian, would you have left me to rot in Ashridge?"

"Dave-"

"Would you?"

"I…I would have made sure you got training with another sorcerer," Balthazar said, "We don't like to waste potential."

Dave stared at him.

"Waste potential?" he said, "Waste potential? I was **potential**? I'm sorry, I was under the impression that I was a ten-year old child."

"That's not how I meant it," protested Balthazar.

"I think it's exactly how you meant it," snapped Dave, "The hell were you thinking, screwing with my life like that. What gave you the right?"

He looked around the subway turnaround where he'd spent years of his life training and preparing for a fate he'd been ignorant of. With a frustrated hiss he threw his hands into the air.

"Forget this," he said, "I'm out of here."

Without another word he turned on his heel and strode out of the turnaround.


	14. Chapter 14

Becky was in a coffee shop when she saw him. Dave's hands were shoved in his pockets and he walked ahead with a determined stride. At first she thought that he was heading somewhere until she saw the aimless look in his eyes. Wheels clicked into place in her head; something was wrong.

So she quietly excused herself from her group and wandered after him. She balked when she saw the building he was going up, but she got into the elevator anyway. If she was feeling awful then she'd hope that someone would come after her. A little height was a reasonable risk for strengthening a relationship and helping someone she cared about.

When she finally caught up on him he was leaning up against the rail and looking out over the city. Taking a deep breath she said;

"Hey."

He jerked his head around and blinked at her. His expression softened from its pensive edge.

"Oh, um, hey," Dave said.

She walked a little closer to him, trying not to look over the edge.

"Everything okay?" she asked, "You looked a little upset in the street."

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" Dave replied bitterly, "I've got the coolest job ever, don't I?"

Becky cocked her head.

"So you're coming up here to think about whatever it is," she said, "And the height doesn't bother you at all?"

"Does it bother you?" he asked.

She wagered a peek over the side.

"Kinda."

Smiling he held out his hand. She took it and he led her towards the railing. Her breath caught, but his hand gripped tighter around hers. Becky's other hand held onto the railing for dear life.

"Scared?" he asked.

"A little," she said, "But you won't let me fall, right?"

"Nope," said Dave.

He laughed and she smiled. They lapsed into silence as they looked over the New York skyline. After a while Dave said;

"I found out that Balthazar's been lying to me for…ever since he met me actually," he said.

Becky looked away from the skyline, startled.

"What about?" she asked.

Dave hesitated.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she added quickly.

The pressure around her hand increased as Dave gripped her hand tighter.

"Thanks," he said.

Silence came again. This time she thought it would stay, but Dave took a deep breath.

"Well…it was a big lie," said Dave, "Or a really glaring omission. It means that he lied about why he took me in, how he was raising me, why he was raising me…"

His voice trailed off miserably.

"He's like your father, isn't he?" asked Becky.

Next to her Dave started. His eyes widened and then he gave a short laugh.

"I thought so anyway," Dave said, "I know my real father was named Matthew Stutler. He was a coach for the college football team. He wasn't Balthazar. But…my dad died when I was little and…"

He laughed again.

"Some second date this is," he said, "I just info dump on you all my problems."

"Hey, that's not what this is," Becky insisted, "I asked you to tell me what was wrong. It's a little intense, yeah, but it's good that you're communicating with me, you know? And…"

She smiled.

"...we're not exactly a normal couple. So you can tell me."

Dave nodded.

"It's just…with Balthazar, I trusted him and…"

Again he trailed off. Becky turned so she was looking at him straight in the eye.

"Dave, I don't have a relationship with my father. Not anymore. He freaked when I told him I didn't want to go to the college he'd picked for me and we haven't really talked since. That's unless you count the occasional Christmas and birthday cards."

Surprise blossomed on Dave's face. His mouth opened and then closed.

"You remember my dad, don't you?" asked Becky, "He had a terrible temper and was pretty controlling. It got worse after my mom left him."

It was her turn to hesitate. However, Dave had told her so much about his personal life that she felt that she owed it to him to open up.

"He wasn't physically abusive," she said, "He never hit me, never laid a finger on me. But he shouted a lot and told me that I was stupid and useless."

She gave him a gentle smile. It was a stark contrast to his horrified expression.

"I knew I wasn't. I'd already been showed by you and my friends and teachers," she said, "But Dave, my father is a bad father. I still love him but I recognize what he is. He didn't lie or hold things back to protect me. He made my insecurities worse."

"Becky, I'm not sure what you're getting at," he said.

"I'm saying, did Balthazar every do any of those things?" Becky asked, "Was there a reason that he kept this back? Was it to protect you, or was it because it was hard for him? Did he do a good job raising you?"

Dave stared at her again.

"Can I…?"

"What?"

He gave a nervous smile and licked his lips.

"Can I kiss you again?" Dave asked.

Instead of saying anything she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Dave put his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her closer. Briefly she saw his eyes roll back in his head before closing. She loved the way that he lost himself in her. For the first time since she went to the railing she took her hand off the rail so that her arms could wrap around his neck. Hopefully he could tell that she was losing herself too.


	15. Chapter 15

Balthazar was in the living room. He had too much of his self-respect left to start drinking, even if he felt like it would be a good idea. This wasn't something that he wanted to share with Veronica's image on the Grimhold. Although he knew she'd be sympathetic in real life, he couldn't bear the chance that she would know about his failure. He couldn't bear to share his shame with anyone at that moment.

"_I think it's exactly how you meant it," snapped Dave, "The hell were you thinking, screwing with my life like that. What gave you the right?"_

What had given him the right? He had hoped that Dave would trust him enough when the time came to explain it. However, Dave was right. He had waited too long. Balthazar had kept an earth shattering secret from the one person who had every right to know it. And he had kept it for ten years, which was far longer than he should have.

Feeling exhausted he buried his head in his hands. He'd failed Dave on several counts, he could see that now. Dave had deserved to know the truth before this. Balthazar had just kept putting it off until it had gotten to a ridiculous point. Sighing deeply he slouched; he'd failed Dave, the Prime Merlinian, Veronica's descendent, and his surrogate son.

Still worse he had probably failed the world. Dave's last words hadn't been particularly reassuring. He might just want to run away. Balthazar severely hoped not. Whether or not the world was saved, if Veronica was freed, should have nothing to do with his own failures. It wouldn't be fair for it to do so, but when was the last time his life was fair?

From some distance away a door slammed. There was only one place who had a key to the Arcana Cabana, but he could have sworn that he heard two sets of footsteps. He didn't have the energy to turn around, but he did withdraw hands away from his face. Balthazar was going to answer whatever questions were posed to him in a calm and composed manner.

In a moment Dave stood before him. He didn't look angry, only thoughtful. Balthazar didn't know if that was a good sign or not.

"Becky's in the hall," he said, "I ran into her in the street. I was walking her to the subway."

He nodded but didn't say anything. Dave sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Why did you wait?" asked Dave.

Balthazar sat up straighter.

"I don't know how to feel right now. I need to know why didn't you tell me when I turned sixteen, eighteen. Why'd you wait?" asked Dave, "I would have been ready to listen, to try to understand."

He looked away and thought long and hard before answering.

"What I have to say is complicated, and I'd appreciate it if I wasn't interrupted when I…did this," he said, "I just want five minutes."

That had come out better than he had expected it to. Dave nodded again. The fact that Dave was giving him a chance was definitely a good sign.

"When I first found you," he said, "You …"

Swallowing Balthazar ran a hand through his hair.

"You were the Prime Merlinian. I had been searching for you for over a millennium," he said, "And it felt like vindication. And I knew I had to train you, had to make sure that you would be ready when you were old enough to fight against Morgana."

Out of the corner of his eye he looked at his apprentice. Dave's face was impassive but he thought he saw a flicker of anger.

"And I thought I could keep a distance," continued Balthazar, "You don't know what my life has been like Dave and hope that you never do. I'd lived so long with a wall that I'd built arond me that it never occurred to me to knock it down. And when I was raising a child, I felt for the first time that it might be a good idea to do so. So at first I resisted."

He sighed.

"I fooled myself until you wanted to see _The Road to El Dorado. _It was impossible to see you as just the Prime Merlinian after I saw that you had your own ideas about what you wanted to do and how you wanted to live your life," he said, "And even then I felt that the wall was there even when it wasn't. But I started to realize that that wasn't right."

Dave's face started to flicker again, uncertain. It was exactly how Balthazar felt.

"I kept telling myself that I'd tell you that you were the Prime Merlinian next year, the year after," he said, "But after a point…after a point…"

He turned his head so he could look Dave in the eye. What he was about to say would determine everything, and he knew it.

"After a point it was hard to see you as the Prime Merlinian," said Balthazar, "Not because you weren't capable. You were and are the most competent sorcerer I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of sorcerers."

The words he wanted to say were heavy on his tongue. His entire mouth was clogged like it was coated with some sort of thick paste. His lips felt cracked and dry.

"It.." started Balthazar before swallowing, "It was because I could only see you as my son."

Dave blinked and put his hand to his face. Balthazar gave him a wry smile.

"And that's it. My reasons. Not very good I suppose."

"No," Dave said, swallowing, "Perfect reasons. I'm sorry I stormed out like that, I just…I just thought-"

"I should have done a better job of it," interrupted Balthazar, "I should have told you when you were younger."

"Well, it's over now," Dave said.

"Not exactly," Balthazar said, "Your…your destiny's still waiting."

His apprentice and son began to chew on his tongue. There was a very pregnant pause that ended with Dave giving him a small smile. He opened his mouth to reply when a scream and the breaking of glass from the front room cut him off. Both of their heads whipped around to the front room.

"Becky," Dave said.


	16. Chapter 16

Dave raced from the den and into the show room. The distance wasn't great; no more than a five minute walk on a normal day. When running it was something closer to two minutes. However, to Dave it was closer to hours. The hall seemed infinitely long to him, and it was with great dread that he finally reached the front room.

When he'd left her Becky had been looking at some antique hatpins. Now she had been smashed into that case. Glass shards were littered all around her. There was a nasty gash at her forehead and she lay on the floor, unconscious. He could see that there was a bloody mark on the bodice of her dress as well. Becky's breathing was labored and shallow.

Across from her he saw Drake, pressed up against the glass of the door. He looked shocked and somewhat frightened. Next to him was Horvath. With a look of puzzlement on his face Horvath was blowing flames off of his fingertips. Then he looked up and saw Dave. He gave another one of his crocodile smiles.

"I did wonder what would happen," he said, "Are you just like the rest of us now, or will that take some time?"

Dave formed a plasma bolt and sent it for Horvath. Horvath sidestepped it and sent a fire ball at him. He managed to form a vacuum spell that caught most of it. The blow back from the spell sent him crashing into a nearby wall though. Books clattered down around him. Ignoring the dizziness in his head he scrambled upwards, but fell. He was too unbalanced. He'd barely managed to get to his feet when Balthazar charged in.

Horvath spotted him and one of the swords from the wall came detached. It made a swing for Balthazar which he managed to dodge. Balthazar broke off the horn of what looked like a unicorn and blocked the next stroke. Dave shook his head once to clear it as the swordfight continued.

When he finally managed to get into control he took in the situation. Balthazar could take care of himself and seemed to be handling Horvath. Becky was still down and a puddle of blood was growing around her. Yet, Dave was far from her. In between him and her were two Morganians. Drake was slowly getting to his feet and didn't seem to be doing anything. However, he might soon change his mind about that.

Feeling furious he rushed at Drake and tackled him. His former tormentor seemed surprised and went down. Dave punched him across the jaw, a purely physical reaction.

"Dammit, she had nothing to do with this!" Dave yelled.

"I didn't-" started Drake, flailing trying to get his bearings.

Whatever he had to say for himself was cut off with a punch. However, the shock of Dave's attack only lasted so long. Drake was bigger than him after all. Soon he succeeded in pushing Dave to the floor and getting to his feet. Once again Dave had picked a fight with someone bigger than him. It was like high school all over again.

He pushed himself up and then spread his fingers out in a popping motion. Drake was thrown backwards, forcing the door open, and throwing Drake out into the street. He made his way over to Becky and ripped the sleeve of his jacket. He'd planned on using it as a bandage, but now that he was closer he could see that her rib was broken. Applying too much pressure would only make it worse so instead he settled for staunching the blood flow.

Behind him Balthazar managed to trap the sword Horvath was controlling in a wooden shield. He had thrown that to the floor and was now trying to force Horvath towards an antique mirror which rippled every time someone came near. Dave didn't recognize the spell, but Horvath seemed to.

"A Hungarian mirror trap Balthazar?" asked Horvath, "I haven't seen one of these in years."

He turned the hold so it was Balthazar whose face hovered inches above the glass. Dave started to wonder if perhaps his master needed help.

"What can I say?" he shrugged, "I'm old fashioned."

Shoving Horvath away they both stumbled. Dave did another popping motion with his hand that pushed Horvath forwards. He fell into the mirror. Its surface ripped before solidifying.

"Thanks," Balthazar said.

Picking up the mirror with both hands he went to the door. Balthazar kicked it open with his foot and the mirror out into the street. It shattered loudly.

"Won't keep him down forever, more's the pity," grimaced Balthazar.

"Balthazar," Dave said, "Becky-"

"I know," he said, shutting the door.

With a wave of his hands a blue light shimmered over the door. Then he walked over and knelt by her.

"Just making sure they can't get back in," said Balthazar, "Mistake on my part."

He sniffed the air.

"Horvath used fire," he said, "Loves that stuff. Only she isn't burned; just got the blow back from the spell. This could have been much worse. Wonder if she has some sort of protection."

"Yeah, never mind," said Dave impatiently, "She's bleeding."

"I've noticed Dave," Balthazar said, "Move the cloth."

Dave did so. Balthazar looked at the wound and grimaced.

"Definitely a broken rib," he said, "Judging by the way she's breathing I think it might have punctured a lung as well."

"We need to call 911," said Dave, "I'll get a phone or-"

"They'll ask questions," he said, "Questions like; what was she doing in the shop? How did she break her rib? Were either of you there at the time? Bad questions Dave, bad questions."

Balthazar's words were grim, but his face was undefeated. As long as he didn't seem defeated then Dave knew they had a chance.

"We've got magic. Healing magic is obscure and difficult, hard to do on others and impossible to do on oneself," Balthazar said, "I can make it so that the injury's not life threatening. I was never the best of us at this."

A grimace crossed his face. At any other time Dave might have picked up on the veiled subtext of his words, but this time he just shook his head.

"Don't care. I don't know how to do this Balthazar," he said, "You have to help her. If you can then you need to. I can't…"

Balthazar stared at him for a minute, and then sighed.

"Alright, but it's not going to be pretty."


	17. Chapter 17

There had been no warning. One minute Becky had been admiring some antiques and the next she'd felt extreme heat and force. Something warm glowed in her pocket as fire spread all around her, not touching her but still close enough to scare . There had been a flash of light and pain. Bits of glass had flown up around her and she'd hit her head on the floor. After that she had surrendered to the dark and lost consciousness.

When she woke up she saw herself staring at the ceiling. It was blurry, but as her vision clarified she saw that Dave was staring down at her. He looked relieved. Becky wanted to explain what had happened to her, but her breath was coming with extreme difficulty. She decided to bring up the topic again later.

"Can you understand me?" asked Dave, "Just blink twice for yes."

She did so and heard him sigh.

"At least there's no concussion," said Balthazar, "That just leaves the rib and the lung to deal with."

Taking in her surroundings she found that her head was on Dave's knee, propped up. His hand was on her forehead in a soothing motion. Balthazar sat next to him, kneeling over her. His hands were inches above her rib cage. His ring began to glow before emanating a purple light. And the pain, the pain was unbearable.

She gave a small cry. Her body twisted and she felt Dave shift. Her breath was guttural, choked. Balthazar winced.

"Your rib broke and punctured your lung," Dave said from above her, "He's trying to heal it but it won't work if you keep moving. It's just going to get deeper and deeper in there and he won't be able to close up the tissue. Do you hear me?"

Becky nodded, tears streaming down her face. The light started up again, as did the pain. She bit her lip and tasted her own blood. Apparently Dave noticed because one of his hands reached down and grabbed hers. Grateful Becky took it and gripped it tightly. There was something secure about his hand. If she was in a little less pain then she would have regretted the way her fingernails dug into his flesh. As it was she didn't notice it at all.

"It's going to be okay Becky," he assured her, "It's going to be fine."

There was a cracking noise and Becky couldn't help arching her spine. It felt like a bone was breaking in reverse. Balthazar jerked his hands back momentarily and the light stopped. The hand that gripped hers was hot and pulsing. Dave's other hand was sweaty on her forehead and she saw him swallow. That couldn't be good.

She opened her mouth again but her breath was still guttural. Dave swallowed again.

"He has to heal the lung tissue now," said Dave, "He's got the rib healed and it won't cause any more damage. But he has to deal with the lung now. You're almost done."

Although outwardly she was quiet inwardly she wanted to scream. She wanted to cry and beg him to stop it, she'd be fine with it healing naturally. However, she knew it was too serious to leave. Instead she gripped his hand again and nodded. Balthazar's hands moved back into position and the next thing she knew the light came back. With it came the pain and a new sensation that something was burning its way from her lungs to her lips.

At long last the purple light faded and Balthazar withdrew his hands. Sweat had appeared on his forehead and he raised his arm to wipe it off.

"You're body's going to be very weak for a while. I wouldn't advise you going straight home," said Balthazar, "Not to mention Horvath knows who you are now. We're going to have to take care of him before we can assure your safety."

Severely shaken Becky nodded. There wasn't much else she could do.

"We'll talk about this more in the morning," said Balthazar, getting up and brushing himself off, "For tonight you're sleeping here. There's just my room and Dave's old one so-"

"I'll sleep on the couch," Dave interrupted.

Balthazar nodded in approval.

"I trust you can get her there," he said.

"Yeah, sure," Dave said.

He put one arm behind her back and the other behind her knees. She wanted to help him push up but she found that there wasn't much strength in her arms. Somehow Dave managed to pick her up and carry her gently up the stairs. He kicked open the door to what must have been his old room.

Drawings littered the walls, each one increasing in size and sophistication. There were a few more doodles on the windows. She would have given them a more intense scrutinization but he had already laid her down on his rather large bed. It smelt unaired but after lying on the hard floor in pain it was heaven.

"If you need anything just uh, give me a call," he said.

She swallowed.

"Well," said Becky, "I'm having trouble moving so if you could take off my shoes for me…"

"Oh, yeah, of course," Dave sputtered.

He sat himself down on the edge of the bed and began untying her shoes. One by one they fell to the floor, along with her socks. While he was doing this Becky managed to sit herself up enough to take off her jacket. With it went her gloves and scarf. If she was going to have to sleep in her daytime clothes then she'd try to make herself as comfortable as possible.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"The comforter," Becky said, "I can't move with a lot of coordination so I can't quite get under it."

"Again, duh," said Dave, smacking his forehead.

With a few maneuvers she found herself underneath the duvet. Dave smiled nervously. "Anything else obvious that I missed?"

She bit her lip, aggravating the cut she had given herself there earlier.

"Stay with me?" she asked.

His eyes grew wide.

"Just…I know it's silly but…I just want to be near someone and…" she trailed off.

Her next words came as whisper.

"You just make me feel safe is all."

Without another word he quietly slipped into bed next to her. She shifted her body so that it was a little nearer to him. It made it easier for her arms to wind around his neck. In turn he pulled her closer and kissed her on the forehead. Becky rested there, bundled by both his arms and the duvet. It felt wonderful.


	18. Chapter 18

One of Becky's hands caressed Dave's cheek. He swallowed and tried not to think about how close she was to him. So far he was failing.

"Becky, I just want to say that I'm sorry about all of this," he said quietly.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" repeated Dave, "You almost got killed by evil sorcerers! And then you went through that painful healing stuff -"

She laid a finger on his lips, effectively silencing him.

"I'll admit that things have been pretty…**intense **since I recognized you during physics class," Becky said.

"Intense?" he asked, his lips moving beneath her finger.

It was the understatement of the century.

"But it's not your fault," she said, "It's that jerk's with the stupid hat and the guy with the stupider hair. You didn't do this."

Becky smiled.

"In fact I'd like to say thank you," she said.

He shook his head in disbelief. There was no end to the surprises that night.

"For what?" asked Dave.

She untangled one of her arms from him and reached into her pocket. After a few seconds Becky produced a bead necklace that looked sloppily made. The beads were starting to fall off the string and the elastic underneath was weak and sagging. It took him a moment before he could recognize it.

"You kept it?" he asked.

"Yeah. I always felt a little silly, but I didn't get a lot of gifts from friends when I was younger," she said, "I've kept it with me during my radio shows, as a good luck charm, and I felt it do something tonight. They sent fire at me but I wasn't burned. Tonight could have been a lot worse if you hadn't given me this."

Dave looked down at the necklace before she put it back in her pocket. From his years as a sorcerer he was able to recognize it as a crude protection charm. It would have still been enough to stop the fire, even if it couldn't stop the spell's blowback. That wasn't the thought that was foremost on his mind though.

"You kept it," Dave repeated.

She smiled. Without another word he kissed her. Her lips moved beneath his and for a moment he forgot to breath. When they separated he touched his forehead to hers.

"You're something special," he said.

"So are you," Becky replied.

He wasn't able to sleep at all that night, just thinking about what she had said and what had happened. Thankfully she managed to fall into a deep sleep. After everything Becky deserved a good, long, uninterrupted rest. She shuffled slightly in his arms again, her hair brushing against his face.

Dave swallowed hard and looked at the clock. It was nearly two in the morning. His mouth was remarkably dry and a glass of water seemed like a good idea. With great reluctance and care he started to disentangle Becky from his arms. It was easier said than done; she'd drawn closer to him in his sleep.

Finally he was free and crept slowly towards the door. The hinges didn't creak and he was grateful. Becky was still asleep. She deserved to stay that way. Dave was able to exit the room without her waking up. He'd come back later; he had promised to stay with her. If he wasn't there when she woke up then he'd have lied. He hadn't been raised to lie.

Still keeping quiet he shut the door completely.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Dave turned around to see Balthazar. His master had divested himself of his coat and hat. He was in his shirtsleeves and his vest was unbuttoned. One of his hands was gripped around what looked like a bag. He was also giving Dave a strange look. It was only then that Dave remembered that Balthazar had said Becky should stay in his room and Dave should sleep on the couch. Oh boy.

"This isn't what it looks like," Dave said, realizing how disheveled and suspicious he must look, "I was just-"

"Dave, I understand," Balthazar said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "More than you'd think."

"We weren't-"

"I said I understood," Balthazar sighed, "And for proof, this is how it played out. She was injured and afraid but she didn't want to admit it. She didn't want to be alone and she trusts you implicitly. Nothing happened because it wasn't like that. All she wanted was to be with someone she loved and felt safe with. And after what she's been through you didn't want to deny any shred of comfort you could give."

Dave gawked at him.

"This may be hard to understand," said Balthazar, "But I was your age at one point. And…I am human."

His tone lowered and became soft.

"There are things I haven't told you, as you well know," he said, "But this last one…"

Again he sighed. Balthazar ran one of his hands through his hair.

"All of the information about myself, about the Prime Merlinian, all of it you've forced out of me," said Balthazar.

"I don't think that's fair," Dave said defensively.

"I'm not blaming you," said Balthazar, "I'm just trying to explain. You see, nothing I've told you has been voluntary. But after tonight I think you've earned this."

Balthazar smiled ruefully.

"And you know what Dave? After seeing you with Becky, I think you're going to understand what I'm going to tell you perfectly."


	19. Chapter 19

Balthazar opened the Incantus in the subway turnaround. It showed a picture of Merlin, looking wise and benevolent. He sighed and inclined his head to Dave, who sat next to him.

"A long time ago I told you that Merlin had three apprentices," he said, "You know that one of them was me and another was Horvath."

Dave nodded.

"The third apprentice was named Veronica," said Balthazar.

He turned the page. It was a picture of the three of them on the day they had taken their vows to the Merlinian order. They were all dressed in cloaks, hoods up. Merlin had given each of them a sword that day which they had put to the ground with their hands on the hilt. He had believed that all of them, including Veronica, shouldn't have to rely solely on their magic. It was a revolutionary idea at the time.

"She, like Horvath, was a noble of some standing," Balthazar said, "I tell you that because I want to explain what those two had to give up to study magic. They renounced the rights to their lands so they wouldn't be influenced by politics. They gave up just about everything because they believed so fervently in Merlin's teachings. Well…her more than him as it turned out."

Balthazar paused. He had thought that it would be much harder than it was to talk about her. Instead the words that had been bottled up for so long were spilling out.

"And you?" asked Dave.

He laughed.

"Do I look like nobility to you?" he asked, "No, I was a farmer's son. There was nothing for me to renounce. I didn't even have a surname back then. But enough about that."

Again he turned the page. The Incantus had no shortage of pictures. It was beautifully illuminated and there were many illustrations of Merlin's famous apprentices.

"For a long time we supported each other," he said, "Morgana was gaining many followers. We were the strongest line of defense against her. We relied on each other for everything, keeping her at bay from ultimate power."

His finger tapped the picture of Veronica.

"She was the greatest of us all," Balthazar said, "Dave, she could look at a page of magic and recite it almost perfectly afterwards. But more than that she was strong and brave, not something that was expected of a woman at the time. Veronica endured slights and rose above it all. She was gentle and kind, a light in the dark."

Unconsciously his voice had taken on a wistful tone. Dave's eyes widened. He was bright; he'd figured it out.

"You fell for her?" he asked.

"I fell for her," Balthazar sighed, "And so did Horvath."

Dave opened his mouth and then shut it.

"He asked her to marry him you know," said Balthazar, "But…she said no. The two of us had been together for some time and…Veronica chose me. She chose me when back then people of my class were barely considered people. I would have married her if…if circumstances had allowed. "

"Why didn't they?" asked Dave quietly.

Giving a sad and rueful smile Balthazar closed the Incantus. He set it aside and reached deep into his bag.

"On the night Horvath betrayed us for Morgana," he said, "Veronica and I were returning to the Keep. I was going to give her this."

He took a necklace out of his bag and fingered the old metal designs.

"Doesn't really matter I suppose," said Balthazar, taking out the Grimhold with his free hand, "A long time ago I told you that part of the Rising was locked inside the Grimhold. But that's only because she was holding when she was trapped."

He turned the Grimhold so her image was displayed. Dave looked at the floor.

"And Horvath had it until the night when you found me," he said, "For thirteen hundred years you were trying to find her."

"And you," added Balthazar, "but I couldn't let him keep her. Every time I got close to them they had hidden it somewhere. The first time I saw it after that night was when you were there. And I don't think that's a coincidence either. You're the Prime Merlinian, and her descendant."

"What?" asked Dave.

"She had a younger sister, and somewhere along the line her descendants married one of Merlin's. Eventually that line produced you," Balthazar said, "I thought when I saw you that there was something familiar about you. I did a little research. It felt like I was being mocked by the universe. But, it was also one of the reasons I tried to keep the wall up. It would have been too easy, too tempting…"

"To see me as the son you never had with her," finished Dave.

Balthazar sighed again.

"Didn't do me any good in the end," he said.

Dave leaned back, deep in thought.

"You said it took a lot of power to open it up," Dave said, "How much exactly?"

"More than I have," Balthazar said, setting the Grimhold down, "I know that because I've tried since it fell into my posession. Nothing ever came of it. And it's more than Morgana and Horvath have; otherwise they'd already have the Rising and enslaved the world."

"Do you even know how to open it?" asked Dave.

"Merlin was big on teaching us how to seal people in it, not how to get them out," snorted Balthazar, "I think he wanted to lock Morgana in there some day. But I don't know anything about it. He designed and built it. He didn't share things he didn't think were important."

"So that's where you get it from."

Balthazar gave a grim smile.

"Perhaps. He obviously never thought that one of his apprentices would get locked inside."

"Hm," said Dave.

He reached out for the Grimhold, and then hesitated.

"You can pick it up Dave," said Balthazar.

Dave gave a nervous grin and reached for it again, his hand displayed so that his ring showed.

"The way I see it-" started Dave, his hand on the Grimhold.

A blue line appeared around the doll. Dave jerked his hand back as the light spread out. He looked as though he were in pain. Disbelievingly Balthazar got to his feet, dragging the rather confused Dave with him. The light expanded and turned golden and cloudy, seeping out of the Grimhold and onto the floor. The two of them shielded their eyes.

"What's happening?" asked Dave.

"I think...I think it's opening," Balthazar whispered.


	20. Chapter 20

Horvath was getting back up. Veronica saw him reach for the Rising but Balthazar pulled back. The parchment ripped under the force and Balthazar dropped his out of shock. She was shocked too; Incantus magic could rip? Feeling silly she shook it off. Who cared what it could and couldn't do at this point? Both of the sorcerers were startled and a portion of the Rising lay on the floor. Veronica hurried forward and snatched the fallen half from the ground.

The parchment felt secure in her hand. No matter what they had to leave now. Half of the Rising was no good. However, Veronica had only time to take a step back before she started to feel a pull. She saw Balthazar turn to her. Horror was etched on her lover's face. There was barely time to register this before the pull intensified.

Everything she knew after that was darkness. Veronica felt like she had no solidity, like she was nothing more than a wisp of wind. She was floating in no particular direction, but she knew she was lost. Wherever the dark place that she was in now was it wasn't where she was supposed to be. She had to find the Prime Merlinian and a way to destroy their half of the Rising.

Above all she had to find Balthazar though. She had left him alone with Morgana and Horvath. Together they could perhaps slow them down. Apart they didn't stand a chance. Veronica had no control over where she was going though. There was no way to steer, no way to try and find light.

In that state she wandered, lost and alone. Time was stretched and confusing. Veronica knew that she had been there for a very long time. Had she been there one or two thousand years? Either way the fight at Merlin's Keep was long over. She prayed that Balthazar had run rather than avenge whatever had happened to her. If he had run then he was alive. If he hadn't then he was dead.

The thought that perhaps she was dead did occur to her. Veronica wondered if she had somehow managed to become trapped in purgatory. The thought terrified her but she had always thought that death would be more painful than what she had experienced. So she trudged onward wiht her hope flickering like a candle flame.

Then there had been light. It had flooded her, blinding her with its brilliance after so long in the dark. She felt herself pull together. For the first time she felt sensations. The stone beneath her was cold and rough. There was parchment clenched in her fingers. Her eyes were closed but there was an orange film, indicating light somewhere. Veronica struggled to open them. She wanted to see.

"Was that supposed to happen?" demanded a panicked voice.

"No."

The second voice as warm and familiar. Calloused hands lifted her head up and cradled her body to him.

"You weren't supposed to be powerful enough yet," said Balthazar, "At least…I didn't think you were."

"Wait, does this mean I'm more powerful than Morgana?"

Who was talking? Was that the Prime Merlinian? What on earth was going on? How much time had passed?

"I don't know. Maybe Morgana just figured she couldn't do it and didn't try. I don't know," said Balthazar.

His hand closed over hers and pried the parchment from her fingers. She tried to twitch them a little to show she was awake, but she didn't have the strength. There were some shufflings. Veronica could only guess that he had hidden the spell in his clothes, but she couldn't care less. The fact that he was there at all was a miracle.

"Is that the other half of the Rising?"

"Yes Dave," said Balthazar, "I…"

She heard him take a deep breath.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd go back to looking after Becky," said Balthazar, "I…"

"No, I understand completely," Dave said.

Footsteps clattered away.

"Dave," called Balthazar.

The footsteps stopped.

"Thank you," Balthazar said.

"Hey, what're adopted apprentices good for?" Dave said.

There were a few more footsteps and a door shut. Balthazar's rough fingertips caressed her forehead and cheek, drawing her closer.

"Wake up," he murmured, his lips whispering the words against her ear, "Please wake up…don't leave me after all of this…please don't…Veronica…"

She had never been able to say no when he called her. With great effort she found her eyelids fluttering. Finally she pushed them open. Balthazar stared down at her, his face less than an inch away from hers. In the time she had been away he had gained worry lines and he looked exhausted. Yet, when her eyes opened his expression turned into one of intense, concentrated love.

"Balthazar," she murmured.

He clutched her to him and she willed her arms to wrap around him. Veronica tilted her head up and kissed him hungrily. Balthazar responded in kind, his hands roving her back and her hair. Once she had said she could get lost in his eyes, but that wasn't quite true. She could get lost in his presence; not just his eyes.

"Beloved," he said between the kisses he covered her face and lips with, "You don't know…you can't…I…"

He broke away and touched his forehead to hers.

"You never gave up on me," she murmured.

It was only then that she started taking in her surroundings. Gigantic metal towers twisted above them. Some sort of orb hovered in the ceiling and emitted light. It was nothing like the world she had known when she had last walked the earth. A cold feeling clenched in her gut and she held onto him tighter.

"How long was I gone?" she asked.

"Too long," said Balthazar, "Always too long."

"Did you find the Prime Merlinian?" asked Veronica, "What about Morgana? Did-?"

He silenced her with a kiss, this time more gently than before. She felt his fingertips around her throat, clasping a necklace there. Veronica looked down at it and stared. She recognized it as the very necklace she had coveted in the marketplace only days before her imprisonment.

"I'll tell you everything," he said, "in the morning. For now, you're here. We're together again. That's all that matters."

Veronica tilted her head up again and kissed him.

"All that matters," she agreed.


	21. Chapter 21

The Grimhold was a strong piece of magic. Its seal was nearly ancient and constructed by Merlin himself. When that seal was broken it naturally sent shockwaves throughout the magical world. Every sorcerer and apprentice in the entire Northern hemisphere felt the ripples. Some even had headaches. Few actually knew what had caused it though.

For the three Morganians in the fashionable part of New York it soon became clear. Drake might have been in the dark as to what caused it, as he had been brooding ever since they had attacked the Arcana Cabana. Horvath however, Horvath knew exactly what had happened. Morgana knew it as well.

"He's come into his power!" shrieked Morgana, "And now he has part of the Rising!"

She gripped a vase and smashed it. Drake jumped. He opened his mouth to say something but wisely retreated. Horvath knew she would mind if he left though.

"We were so close!"

Another valuable bauble was destroyed. Horvath watched it shatter impassively. More followed it, Morgana lashing out with her magic when she ran out of things nearby. Soon the room was filled with flying glass and porcelain. He set up a shield, still watching the happenings with a blank face.

As if the night hadn't been complicated enough now this happened. He had had to run for three blocks before he found a big enough mirror to reflect out of. By the time he got back Balthazar had put up wards that he couldn't break. After that they had had to go back to Morgana and report failure. She hadn't been pleased, especially since her skin had started to flake off that morning. However, that failure had been eclipsed by the recent development.

Something else shattered. To be honest it wasn't Dave that Horvath was worried about. The boy hadn't had a sudden power boost since he had just seen him after all. He was probably still relying on the ring too. Instead his mind went to the Grimhold's occupant for the past millennium. Veronica was free now. Veronica, with all of her beauty and light, was no longer a prisoner. The woman he had loved was once more free to walk the world.

And he knew exactly what she would do first with her newfound freedom. She would fall into Balthazar's arms. After that she probably wouldn't want anything else. There was a good chance she was there now, whispering promises of love and vowing to never again leave. It made him burn to think of, especially since it was probably true.

As long as she was in the Grimhold he had felt a morbid satisfaction. That way no matter how much they wanted to be together they couldn't. It had been even better when he had possessed the Grimhold. Then Balthazar couldn't even be near her. However, he knew there was a sort of slow torture from being near someone you loved but never able to touch them.

Now she was with him again, just like they had been on the day she'd been imprisoned. It was more than he could bear. So he waited as Morgana threw her temper tantrum. His own plans of vengeance were sharpening in his mind. When there was nothing left to break he lowered his shield. Horvath fixed her with a calculating look and said, very calmly;

"All is not lost."

"Oh really?" she snapped.

"Really," said Horvath, "See, as powerful as he is the Prime Merlinian is still a boy. He's still naïve in many ways and he's very much in love. Much like his master."

Morgana gave a thin smile.

"What do you suggest?" she asked.

"Something very simple, and yet very effective."

.

.

.

Becky felt Dave slide into bed next to her. Weakly she reached out and touched his face. He clasped her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Where were you?" she asked sleepily.

"I went to go get a glass of water," he said, laying his head on a pillow, "And then I freed a sorceress from a thirteen hundred year imprisonment."

"If that's all-wait," said Becky, suddenly feeling very awake, "What did you just say?"

"The water or the bit about the sorceress?" Dave asked.

"So you did say it," she said.

"My life is…**complicated**," he said.

"I think I'm starting to understand that," she replied.

He grinned.

"If you want to know something else, that woman could very well become my mother pretty soon," Dave said, "I'm already her great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandnephew or something."

"You're making this stuff up," Becky laughed.

Dave sobered.

"No, I'm not. Apparently Balthazar's true love's been trapped for thirteen hundred years," said Dave, "He's been trying to free her ever since then."

He paused and swallowed.

"It's gotten me thinking," he said, "Becky, I really care about you. I'm not sure if it's love exactly but…"

His voice trailed off awkwardly.

"Thanks for being honest with me," she said softly, "I hope you know I care about you too."

Dave smiled at her before licking his lips nervously.

"I was just thinking," he said, "After tonight you should probably go somewhere safe. You said your mother lives in Maine. Maybe you should go there for a while. I don't want you to get hurt again, and that's going to happen if you get involved."

Becky shook her head in disbelief.

"No."

"Becky-"

"No. Listen to me for a minute. Dave, you told me this thing that's going to happened will happen all over. And I think I'm already involved," she said, "So I'm staying. Who knows? I might even be able to help."

The look in his eyes made shivers run down her spine.

"You're sexy," he breathed.

She stifled a giggle and before she knew it Dave had added his laughter to hers.


	22. Chapter 22

"And that's basically what you need to know," Balthazar said, "As of last night we repelled Horvath and his associate. That's where we stand."

Veronica nodded.

"So what do you plan on doing now?"

Balthazar shrugged and cracked his neck. The night before he'd gotten Veronica to his room so she could sleep in comfort. He'd seen her wide eyes at all of the modern things, but she didn't say anything. He figured she was too tired to ask. She wasn't tired enough to protest against him going downstairs and taking the couch. It wasn't as though he had it in him to say no to holding her for hours, so he didn't put up too much of a fight.

They hadn't slept long. He estimated that it was about five in the morning when she woke up. Veronica was used to the days where they would spend hunting Morganians. Then sleep was scarce and to be snatched at different moments. Balthazar was looking forward to acquainting her with the time-honored practice of sleeping in.

"Not sure," said Balthazar, "There's Becky to think of in this mess too now and she's still weak. The body burns its own energy when it heals so she'll be out of it for a few days. You could have done better I'm sure."

"Not in this state," Veronica said.

She snapped her fingers. There was a momentary spark before it died.

"My power has been depleted by the Grimhold," she said, "I don't know when or if it will return."

Beneath her casual tone he could hear the pain in her voice. He gripped her hand in his. Balthazar knew how important her magic was to her. It was a part of her, something that had allowed her to break down social barriers and rise above stereotypes. Magic had kept her from making a loveless marriage and going to court.

Veronica would have been special without her magic. There had never been any doubt about that in his mind. However, he knew that she missed it.

"It will," he assured her, "I'm sure of it."

"And how can you know something like that?" Veronica asked.

Balthazar shrugged.

"I just do."

Squeezing her hand tighter he said;

"Either way, they know what she means to him now if they didn't before. We can't send Becky away."

"No, we can't. It's too dangerous," agreed Veronica, "And this Becky, she is the Prime Merlinian's betrothed?"

He laughed and shook his head.

"No, they're…I suppose they're…courting," he replied thoughtfully, "It's not exactly the same thing today; it's called dating. But it's about as close a translation as I can get it."

An image came to his mind of Dave and Becky being engaged and he shook it off.

"Dave acts like a fool around her now," he said, "I'd hate to think of what he'd be like if they were engaged."

"Dave, Becky," sighed Veronica, "Where do these names come from?"

"Laziness mostly," Balthazar said, "Dave is short for David and Becky is short for Rebecca. Just things for that."

He sat on the edge of his bed. Veronica shifted her position so that she sat directly behind him. The hairs on the back of his neck rose in response.

"So you've been training him for ten years," she said, casually brushing her fingertips against his shoulder.

Balthazar coughed.

"Yes, I have," he said, "I've taught him everything he knows. But…I think we should have taught him together."

Veronica smiled.

"I would have loved to have been there with you," said Veronica, "But I'm sure you did more than enough. He certainly had the power to free me last night."

"Yes. I…I think he might actually be one of your descendants."

She started and then a small smile of wonder came to her face.

"And so now I can see Ruth's offspring myself," said Veronica, "I always told her that she'd do great things."

"Well, having a descendant like Dave counts," he said.

"From what he's done for us, what he's going to do, then I believe it does," said Veronica, "Where are his parents?"

"Dave's parents died when he was little," said Balthazar, "He was moved to an orphanage. I've officially adopted him actually."

"Adopted?" asked Veronica, crinkling her eyebrow, "I'm not sure what that means."

"It's sort of like having a ward," said Balthazar.

He hesitated.

"But it's more. Legally, in the eyes of the law and the state and for all intents and purposes, he's my son," he said.

One of Veronica's hands went to the side of his face. She turned it so that she could look him in the eyes.

"You have a son?" she asked.

"Not biological," Balthazar said hurriedly, "He wasn't…he had a completely different set of parents I just-"

"Shhh," said Veronica, kissing him lightly on the lips, "I know. I know there wasn't anyone else. I know you never left me, not really."

Balthazar reached out and held her to him.

"Your faith in me is staggering. You never even asked, just knew," he murmured, "How can you be sure of something that?"

She smiled and pulled away.

"I just am," she replied.


	23. Chapter 23

"So," said Balthazar, "we need to figure out where Morgana and Horvath are."

"And Drake," added Dave.

"And that moron," Balthazar corrected himself, "And once we find that out we'll have half the battle won. We've been on the defensive since the start; time to go on the offense."

Dave nodded, trying not to stare at the woman who sat next to Balthazar at the table. He knew he needed to take account of her. This woman, when she married Balthazar, would sort of be his step-mother. He had no doubts that Balthazar would indeed marry her. It was impossible to mistake the way he looked at her for anything other than what it was.

"From what I've read Drake Stone is an up and coming stage magician. Sort of like Criss Angel," Becky piped up.

He tilted his head. Becky sat next to him, eating the bacon and biscuits that Balthazar had made up with relish. He'd read in his Incantus that when the body consumes energy in healing spells it leaves the person the spell was used on hungry. From the fact that she was on her third plate he could believe it.

"Morganians," snorted Balthazar.

"Who's Criss Angel?" Veronica asked.

Becky tilted her head at her, showing that he wasn't the only one interested in her presence. There was something about Veronica, from the strange accent in her voice to the way she moved. There was another explanation for Becky's particular interest. Dave wondered if this was the equivalent of meeting his parents to her.

Still, Veronica was different. He tried to imagine a younger Balthazar paying court to this woman. It wasn't the easiest thing, to him Balthazar would never be 'young', but he managed it. In fact, the more he thought about it the more he understood. She was the light to his dark and the water to his fire. Together they were somehow balanced.

"Sort of like an entertainer?" Becky explained, "Like an actor but with magic."

"Oh," frowned Veronica, "That's an abuse of the craft."

"Tell me about it," Balthazar said, "I can't believe that little ingrate grew up so messed up. Nigel Frost was a terrible Master, sure enough, but it's the sign of a real moron for his apprentice to grow up a Morganian actor. But I fail to see what that has to do with this."

"He's a celebrity," said Becky, "Celebrities never go anywhere without announcing what they're doing to the entire world. I bet if we did a search we could find out where he was staying. That could definitely be a lead."

His master nodded.

"Good idea," Balthazar said.

Dave looked at Becky, who winked at him before taking a sip of orange juice.

"First things first though," Becky said, "Dave told me a bit about what's going on. Can't we get rid of the Rising? Morgana can be defeated after it's gone, right?"

There was a pause.

"What?" asked Becky.

"Yeah, I've been doing some research on that. As soon as I woke up I started looking through my Incantus," Dave said, taking the Incantus out of his pocket.

"That's what you were doing while I was in the shower," Becky said.

He wedged his nail underneath the cover and then started to unfold it until it was its normal size. Becky was staring at him as he laid it on the table. With a slight flourish he put his palm flat on the cover. By raising his hand he increased its width while causing a small dust cloud to expand around it.

"Do you guys do anything normally?"

"Nope," Dave said, flipping the book open, "Let's see here…ah!"

His fingers stopped at a post-it note that he'd used to bookmark his spot. Clearing his throat he read;

"Most spells are universal in all Incantuses. However, in the case of certain spells there is only one copy that can be found in only one book."

Dave looked up.

"I'm guessing the Rising is one of those," he said.

"Correct," Veronica replied.

"Okay, got it," Dave said, "But then it goes on to say; Since magic is alive spells will try to protect themselves. The fewer copies of a spell the more resistant they will be to destruction. Some spells will simply disappear after being said."

"We're not going to wait to see if that's the case with the Rising," said Balthazar.

"I didn't say we should!" argued Dave, "But it said; If a spell is in separate components that makes each component more difficult to destroy."

"Essentially if the two halves are separate then they're harder to get rid of," Balthazar said, "Nothing new."

"Not to mention the bit where it goes on to say that most magic is all-but indestructible," Dave said, "I don't think I have the kind of power to get rid of it."

"No. Not by yourself," said Balthazar, "If Veronica and I were to chip in though, then I think we'd have a pretty good chance."

Veronica shook her head.

"My powers have yet to return."

Her voice sounded sad. Dave saw Balthazar make a subtle movement to brush her hand with his fingers in comfort.

"They will," said Balthazar firmly, "But we can't afford to waste time. We need to get the other half of the Rising. When the halves are united then it will be easier to get rid of. By then Veronica should have her powers back and we can take care of it. Then we can go after Morgana. Sound good?"

There were nods of assent from around the table.

"Good," Balthazar said, taking Veronica's hand openly in his, "So let's start that search you mentioned Becky. We have some Morganians to find."


	24. Chapter 24

Becky peered at the building behind her sunglasses. She was sitting in a café across from the penthouse that Drake Stone currently resided in. According to the internet he'd moved into it for his New York stop in a tour that had been suddenly cancelled. Originally she'd done the search in front of all of them. The minute that the computer booted up Veronica had taken two steps away from it. They decided right then and there that computers were too much too soon.

In front of her was a large coffee and a slice of chocolate cake. She sincerely hoped that her hunger would go away soon; she didn't want to become enormous. However, it was a good front. It had been decided that she should be the one to stake out the building. If she was going to have that role then she was going to do it right.

Dave didn't like it. He'd cited her condition and her lack of magical abilities. Balthazar had countered his arguments by saying that Becky was the one of them the other side had seen the least. Besides, done up the right way she was just another woman who'd ordered an overpriced coffee and was sitting outside as night neared.

The fight that had ensued had left her uncomfortable. She didn't know that Dave could raise his voice that high, or just how biting Balthazar's remarks could be. After a few minutes Veronica had looked annoyed. She'd placed a hand on Balthazar's shoulder and he'd quieted almost immediately. Then, jutting her chin up, she'd said;

"What does Becky think about it?"

All eyes had turned to her.

"I can do it," she'd said, "I'd like to help."

"Becky-" started Dave.

"You heard her," Veronica interrupted, "And that's that."

That had been that too. While Dave's protective nature was adorable most of the time it hadn't been in that case. He didn't understand her position. As Dave had said, she didn't have any magical powers. Her capacity to help them was probably going to be limited to things like these. Oh, and she'd loaned clothes to Veronica until the opportunity presented itself to go shopping. Thus far that was about as useful as she got.

Her hand went for her fork and trembled. Becky gritted her teeth and clasped around it. On top of everything else she had to deal with how weak she was. Under normal circumstances she wasn't exactly a black belt in karate but this was ridiculous. She wouldn't even be able to go for a can of pepper spray if she was attacked.

She took a bite of cake. Something was better than nothing after all. Becky didn't like how weak she seemed to be. In that she found something to silently sympathize about with Veronica. From what Dave told her she was a very powerful sorceress. Her time in the Grimhold had somehow managed to cripple those powers. Veronica's control and ability to fight had been diminished, perhaps even permanently so.

If that happened to her it would drive her mad. Veronica just kept going like it didn't matter. It was plain to see that it was hurting her though. Her role in this particular operation was to essentially take care of Becky. Currently the woman was inside of Balthazar's disguised car a block away with Balthazar and Dave. When or if they went in she was to stay and make sure that there were no further side effects from how Becky had been healed.

All in all it wasn't the most flattering role for either of them. However, if Veronica's powers returned then she could once more assume her place as an equal with the sorcerers. There was nothing that would return to Becky though. She would remain as she always was, although she might have the ability to use pepper spray or a gun. That wasn't the most reassuring thing when you were going up against sorcerers.

With a sigh she went back to looking at the building. Soon she saw what looked like a man in a bowler hat walk into the building. Her eyebrows raised. They had certainly expected Horvath to be near-by, but the doorman recognized him. Horvath wasn't just visiting; he had taken up residence there.

Reaching into her purse she dug out her cellphone. Dave was on speed dial and she waited impatiently for him to pick up. At least she'd be able to do this right.

"Becky?"

"Of course Dave," Becky said, "There's been an interesting development."

.

.

.

"She says it looks like they're holing up in there," Dave said.

Veronica stared at the building in front of her with a mixture of awe and trepidation. It was so tall. Everything was alien to her. Balthazar had explained that they weren't in England anymore, not even in Europe. There had been a whole new continent across the ocean that no one had noticed for hundreds of years.

In this new setting she was all but powerless. At least her opinions were being taken into consideration. That hadn't always happened in the past.

"We can't just go in there, as much as I'd like to," said Balthazar, "If Horvath's just gone in then there's a good chance that Morgana's in there too."

"So we just sit here for a few hours?"

"Looks like it."

"You could try scrying," Veronica suggested.

Balthazar shook his head.

"Morgana would be able to trace that."

"I am well aware of this," she said, "But if one of you did it then the other could search the apartment while Morgana and her associates went tracing your magic. It's as simple as that."

There was a pause.

"It would get them out of the building," Balthazar said, "But…that means that the people inside will have to somehow come to the first person's defense."

"The second person could take the car," suggested Dave, "Load everyone up and then head after the first person. They'd be on foot, at least as first. Seeing as that first person would be you or me I think we could run and defend ourselves for long enough until we got reinforcements."

Balthazar considered it, rubbing his chin.

"The plan's actually pretty brilliant," Dave said, inclining his head towards Veronica, "You're really good at this."

Veronica smiled.

"Then it looks like nothing's changed," Balthazar said.


	25. Chapter 25

From the sidewalk Balthazar saw Dave give him a thumbs up sign. Next to him Veronica nodded her head. He felt bad about leaving her with Dave. Admittedly it would probably be worse if he had her in the car with him during a high-speed chase around New York at night time. It was dangerous and hectic enough in the day. They'd have to meet up soon but he might be able to save her from the worst of it.

Sighing he tapped the pocket where he held half of the Rising. If everything went well tonight it would be united and they could destroy it. At last it would be over. With that in mind he held his hand palm out and closed his eyes. Concentrating he felt warmth flow into his palm. When he opened his eyes again he saw an image that flickered with fluctuations in the light. Morgana was in a living room with Horvath and Drake. She was pointing to a map, thumping her finger on different points.

He wondered what exactly that meant. However, he didn't have much time. Seconds after the spell was cast Morgana looked up. Her eyes narrowed and she snapped her fingers. The image flickered and then disappeared entirely. Balthazar waved at Dave and Veronica before stepping on the accelerator. They were on their own now.

.

.

.

Flattening himself up against the wall Dave saw Horvath and Drake hurry out of the building. He held his breath; it would all be for nothing if Morgana wasn't with them. His worries abated as he saw Horvath pause and hold the door. A woman in a sweeping dress stalked out and got into a car that Drake had started.

Next to him Veronica tensed. He gave her a cursory glance and saw that her eyes had become hard. Of course she would. This was the friend who'd betrayed her and the enemy who'd locked her away for centuries. For all of the emotions that he knew must be churning in her mind she was able to keep her composure though.

The car drove off. Together they walked inside of the building, keeping at a fast pace but not fast enough to be noticed. Dave pulled up his hood and got into the elevator. He saw Veronica hesitate outside of its doors before stepping in. When the doors closed she jumped. Dave winced; feeling bad that she had been hurtled into the 21st century out of necessity.

He had no doubt that there would be very long explanations once they were done defeating Morgana.

"Becky says Drake's staying on the top floor," he said, pushing the button for the highest floor that the elevator went to.

She nodded, gripping the safety rail. When the doors opened again he heard her let out a breath. He wondered if she'd been waiting for the elevator to fall at any moment. There was no way that he was going to mention that though; if she was anything like Balthazar then she had her pride too.

Stepping out he thought about the suite number that Becky had told him. With great concentration he stepped up to the appropriate door and knelt outside of it.

"Make sure no one's coming, okay?" he asked.

"Alright."

Dave reached into his pocket and took out a small kit. He selected a few slender pieces of metal and inserted them into the door handle.

"You're picking the lock?" asked Veronica.

"Balthazar taught me," Dave said, putting an extra piece of metal and holding it into his mouth, "These key card locks are tricky, but you can't go for the obvious ploy which would be the key-taker. The handle is still a handle. They haven't changed that."

He stopped, realizing she probably didn't understand anything he'd said.

"Balthazar just wanted to make sure that I'd never be one-hundred percent dependent on magic," Dave said, "So yeah, I know how to pick locks manually."

"Sounds like him," said Veronica.

The door swung open. Taking one the piece of metal out of his mouth he threw it inside. Nothing happened.

"Looks like it's not warded," Veronica said.

"Guess not," Dave replied, getting to his feet.

They walked in and shut the door quietly behind him. Dave bent to retrieve the piece of metal and got a good look at the penthouse.

"Kinda ostentatious, don't you think?" he asked.

Veronica made a face, looking behind him. He turned and saw a mural of Drake with tigers, clouds, women, and a throne.

"Now that's just freaky," he grimaced.

Veronica shuddered in agreement.

"We split up now," she said, "I don't know how long before the trace of Balthazar's spell disappears. I'll search this room."

"I've got the other one," said Dave.

They each went into their prospective rooms. Dave stepped inside of a large room that he supposed was supposed to be the study. Instead it had become a kind of storage room for Drake's magic props. On a coffee table he saw a detailed map of New York laid out. Battery Park had been circled in black sharpie. Several X's had been drawn onto it and then circled as well.

Not knowing what it meant he went closer to it. His feet stepped onto an ornate rug. Suddenly the rug began to shift beneath his feet. Confused Dave raised one foot only to have it immediately sucked back down. The more he struggled the more he seemed to sink into the recesses of the rug. He didn't like to think about what would happen if it got to the point where it covered his head. It would probably be death by rug.

"Now that would just be silly," he sighed.

Dave flicked through the traps that he knew of. Balthazar had always made sure that he was thoroughly educated, but he had skipped through this section. It didn't really matterif Dave knew what it was that was sucking him in or not. It only mattered if he knew how to get out of it. At the moment he didn't, but he was almost positive that he would think of something. He had to.


	26. Chapter 26

The room was large and furnished richly. Veronica felt uncomfortable. She didn't even know where to begin searching. Where would someone keep something hidden in this strange new world? Perhaps they shouldn't have split up. Dave would probably be better at searching than she was.

Shaking her doubts off her eyes scanned the room. There was a fire blazing away in the hearth. By her standards that was normal behavior. Yet, it was the first fireplace she had seen since she had awoken. Veronica had been led to believe that there were more efficient ways to procure warmth these days.

Inching closer to the fireplace she found runes etched in the ashes. She recognized the them. They invoked spells to take the energy of the fire and to transfer it to a sorcerer. Her eyes narrowed. It wasn't a spell for youth; it was one for vitality. Something was wrong. Morgana shouldn't need to be using these in addition to ones for youth.

Then again, she had been using those spells for over a millennium. While Morgana was powerful she wasn't Merlin. Her revitalizing spells seemed to be faulty, if the runes were any indication. Her body must be crumbling around her for her to resort to stealing energy from flames. It was a time consuming and difficult process.

Perhaps they wouldn't have to fight her at all, only wait for her body to give out. There was no way of knowing how long Morgana had left though. She could have the ability to live for another hundred years for all Veronica knew. No; it was best to just keep this in mind and press on with the plan. They had the Prime Merlinian after all.

"Veronica!"

She jerked her head up. Hadn't Balthazar taught him to keep his voice down? Sighing she strode into the other room. When her foot crossed the threshold she stepped back.

"Dave, what did you do?" she asked.

"I stepped on the rug and then it went all…sticky! I think I lost my cell phone in here."

Her eyes scanned the design on the carpet that Dave was currently stuck in up to his waist.

"It's a Persian Quick Rug," Veronica said, "Very old magic."

"What the hell is it with magic and puns?" asked Dave.

He gestured wildly with his hand.

"Do you know how to shut it off?"

"Don't you?"

"I tried using the curtains to pull myself out," Dave said, "Didn't work so much."

Veronica saw where curtains were nearly sunk into the rug.

"Didn't you go over this in your training?" she asked.

"Balthazar sort of skipped past this part. Not Persian Quick Rugs, just traps in general," Dave said, "He said it wasn't useful."

She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I did always have to get him out of things like this," said Veronica, "You would have thought that he'd learned his lesson."

Putting her hands on her hips she started to look around the room. It had been a long time since she had had to think about things like this. Merlin had taught her well and she knew how to keep her head under pressure. Veronica thought for only moments before she was able to summon up the knowledge she needed.

"The best way to get out of it is to pull yourself out with a force stronger than the one that's pulling you down," she said, "That's all I remember about it."

"So you couldn't uh, give me a hand?"

"I don't have the magic. If I gave you a hand, literally, then that would just get me sucked in too," Veronica said, "Use your head."

Dave blew out a frustrated breath. He looked around and then set his face. With a wave of his hand some chains from what looked like a torture device began to interlock. Still guiding it with his hands the chains lowered down to where he could grab them. Slowly they started to raise him upwards.

"Good job," Veronica said.

A grin spread on his face, only to be replaced with a frown. He started to lower the chains again.

"Dave, no," she said.

"No, I know what I'm doing," insisted Dave.

With one hand still on the chains he reached out towards a coffee table that was also trapped in the rug. His hand fumbled on the table, knocking over a map. Beneath the map was a yellowing scrap of paper. Dave snatched it up and shoved it inside of his pocket. Then he raised his hand and the chains resumed pulling him upwards.

One by one the chains separated. It was done in such a way that he slid down the chain towards solid ground. Veronica was impressed by the mechanics and thought that he had put into his rescue. The small amount of time it had required to design such a device labeled him permanently as Balthazar's apprentice.

Then one of the chains snapped. From the surprised look on Dave's face it hadn't meant to do that. He started sliding backwards on the chain towards the Persian Quick Rug. Veronica hurried over and held out her hand. Dave took it, his palm sweat in hers. Taking a deep breath she started pulling him towards the wooden floor.

With a great tug of effort she yanked him so that he was over the floor. He jumped down and tumbled. His fall took her with him and she hit her head hard.

"Ouch," she said.

"Sorry," Dave said, "I didn't mean for that to happen."

"I guess you didn't mean for the chains to break either," she said, "What was the scrap of paper anyway?"

Grinning Dave took it out of his pocket. It didn't take long for her to recognize the second half of the Rising. She smiled and helped him to his feet. Veronica wanted to say something congratulatory, but she heard a scraping noise. It was followed by the door opening. Her face paled. They had returned home.


	27. Chapter 27

"Pick up the phone Dave, pick it up," Becky pleaded.

For the second time her call went to voice mail. She shut her phone in irritation and desperation. Her eyes went up to the top floor, barely visible in the dark of the night. She was still looking when Balthazar's car screeched to a halt in front of her. He made a motion to her and she scrambled inside it.

"They haven't come out yet, but Morgana and the rest did," said Becky, "I tried calling Dave, but he hasn't picked up."

"Damn it," swore Balthazar.

His fingers tapped the steering wheel.

"I'm going up there," he said after a moment.

"You can't," Becky said, "If they come out then we'd need to leave immediately. I don't know how to drive this old car."

"Doesn't make any difference-" started Balthazar.

From high above them they heard a crash. Both of them looked up to see pieces of glass rain down from the sky. It was followed by a few chunks of masonry.

"Oh my God," whispered Becky, "Balthazar-"

"I'm on it."

He slammed the door open and looked upwards.

"Hell," he said.

"What is it?" asked Becky, edging towards the door to the car herself.

"Stay in there," Balthazar snapped, throwing himself back in the car, "We need to move. NOW."

Slamming his foot on the accelerator they jerked forward a few feet. Becky hit her lip on the back of the seat in front of them. The taste of blood flooded her mouth as her teeth cut into the tender flesh there. There was a crash behind them and, despite the pain and her surprise, she turned around to see what caused it.

A stone eagle was lying on the ground in several pieces. Dave was sprawled on the sidewalk, dazed but triumphant. Veronica grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the car. He got into the passenger's seat as Veronica got into the seat next to Becky. Balthazar stepped on the accelerator again and they took off.

"Smooth Dave," Balthazar said.

"Hey, it was my first try!"

"Your first try doing what?" demanded Becky.

Dave grinned at her sheepishly through the review mirror.

"I tried animating a stone gargoyle to get us down quickly," he said, "Still ironing a few kinks out on that one."

The grin turned into a frown.

"Are you okay?" he asked, "You're bleeding."

"I'm fine," Becky insisted, "Just bit my lip."

"You're not 'ironing out a few kinks' Dave. You crash landed," Balthazar said.

"The important thing is that I landed," he said, putting on his seat buckle.

"No, the important thing is that you didn't break every bone in your body!" snapped Balthazar.

His eyes flickered to the review mirror.

"Veronica, are you alright?" he asked.

"Shocked, but also impressed," she said, "Your apprentice thinks very fast and rather well under pressure."

"Thank you Veronica!" Dave said .

"Right after he stops panicking for the first two minutes that is."

"I resent that-"

Becky slammed into the wall of the car as another car ran into theirs. They hit the curb and Balthazar struggled to regain control of the vehicle. Veronica was shoved to the side and banged into the door. Balthazar got the car back onto the road after a few minutes but they got bumped forward again. Becky took to bracing herself, even if it was ineffective because she didn't know which direction the next attack would come from.

Next to her Veronica slid from side to side. Suddenly she realized what the problem was.

"You'd best buckle up," Becky said, pulling the seat belt over Veronica's chest and locking it in.

She gave her a nod of thanks before looing out her window.

"What's happening?" Veronica asked.

"Horvath," said Balthazar.

The other car pulled up until it was level with them.

"Dave, change the car," Balthazar ordered.

Dave rolled down the window and smacked the side of the car.

"When you say change the car do you mean-" started Becky.

All around her Becky felt the car lengthen and shift. She didn't know what model the car had changed into, only that it was much faster. They pulled forward, weaving wildly in and out of traffic. She looked back. Horvath's car was still hot on their trail.

"I am speechless."

Finally Horvath's car weaved ahead of theirs. Balthazar turned sharply, but a trail of smoke was coming from the other car. Everything around them was obscured. She vaguely made out the headlights of other cars as they got too close. Feeling sick to her stomach Becky closed her eyes, trying to block out the fact that they could very well crash and die.

Upon opening them again she saw that the smoke had cleared. Instead they were rocketing towards a large mirror with a rippling surface. Up in front Balthazar slammed on the brakes but they spun towards it. She braced herself for the crash but instead the mirror swallowed them whole.

She blinked. All around them signs were reversed and spelt backwards. Becky felt like she'd gone down the rabbit hole.

"What just happened?" asked Dave.

At least she wasn't alone in her confusion this time.

"Hungarian Mirror trap," Balthazar groaned, "Horvath's trying to get me back for earlier."

Balthazar stepped on the accelerator again.

"It's not fatal, not if we drive through our own reflection soon," he said.

"I'm guessing the key word is soon?" asked Dave.

"Exactly."


	28. Chapter 28

Despite his Morganian status Drake was into a degree of fair play. Alright, so attacking Dave in the bathroom hadn't been particularly fair. Nor, when he thought about it, had been coming at them when they were at home. It had been late at night too, to make it even worse. Still, there were rules that he played by.

Hurting the blonde girl, pretty even if she did have bad taste in men, was definitely not fair. It broke about three of his rules in one fell swoop. First off; you warned. Second off you didn't attack bystanders, which was what the girl essentially was. Lastly, you never used magic against those that couldn't use it back. This excluded when there were more than one of them, or when a gun was involved.

He realized vaguely that, if he played by just these three rules, he was a terrible Morganian. Still, he kept them. Nigel Frost had been a rotten Master but Drake hadn't disregarded everything he said. Even idiots had been known to say something brilliant or insightful on occasion.

Good old Nigel. Drake sneered when he gave him that title. He'd taught Drake a very important lesson; people were idiots. Nigel had said many things about the bond of a Master and an apprentice. He'd forgotten them the day he abandoned Drake when he was fifteen. In short this had outraged his sense of fair play. If Nigel had wanted to ensure that his student became a Morganian, then he'd executed plan worthy of a bond villain. His name, Nigel Frost, even sounded like one.

Even so he kept that sense of fairness. It was how he had quickly realized that real Morganians, Morganians like Horvath and Morgana, didn't play by that set of rules. Instead of being somewhat fair with his life he'd become a version of the people who had wronged him in the first place. It made him want to be sick.

Not to mention they were fighting against the boy who'd saved his life. Balthazar was involved too, and some other people, but it was mostly Dave. There was a warped payback for you. He'd done nothing but bully Dave and he'd saved him from getting torn about by a ravenous magical wolf. There was something integrally wrong about that, he was sure.

On top of that, as they chased after them, as his foot was on the accelerator, Horvath was smashing mirrors. He was trying to keep all four of them trapped in that mirror. In the very least he was trying to herd them. Something about it was horribly unfair to Drake. He wanted to stop the car immediately and run away.

Yet, he couldn't. The two people in the car with him were not the type of people you ditched. They were the type of people you took orders from meekly saying 'yes sir' or 'yes ma'am'. Otherwise he could imagine horrible pain waiting for him. So he kept driving, making over exaggerated remarks about how fun it was. All the while he bit his tongue and inwardly kept himself steeled against the unfairness of it all.

.

.

.

"They're smashing the mirrors," Dave said.

"Nicely spotted Dave," snapped Balthazar, trying to accelerate the car.

There was no way that they were going to be able to get to a mirror within the time at this rate. On the other side of the mirror he could see the car that was pursuing them with Horvath smashing each mirror as they went, forcing Balthazar to turn at odd angles and go down different side streets.

"Horvath always did have a very poor sense of fair play," he muttered.

"So, um, what happens if we get trapped in here?" asked Becky from the back.

"I'm not going to talk about it, because we're going to get out of here before it happens," Balthazar said, hearing the note of panic in her voice.

"I guess that means you don't know, huh?" Dave said.

He gave him a side glance. Oh, he knew what happened to people who got trapped permanently inside the Hungarian Mirror Trap alright. He'd read about them when he was an apprentice. They started to stretch out and glimmer until they became a permanent reflection. Even so they could live for hundreds of years, just being shadows of themselves until someone was merciful enough to break the mirror.

Balthazar looked through his review mirror. Veronica was in the back, looking around them. He'd already lived as a reflection of himself for hundreds of years. There was no way he was going to go through it again. Looking forward again he scanned the area for something, anything they could use. Then he saw it.

A large piece of glass was coming loose of its fastenings high above them. Dave saw it too, and his eyes widened.

"No," Dave said, "Balthazar, no."

He jerked the steering wheel towards it, pushing on the accelerator until he thought it would break through the floor of the car.

"We're not going to make it!" Dave cried.

The pane of mirror fell. It enveloped them and Balthazar kept driving. He felt the world flip upside down and backwards for a minute. Briefly he was reminded of a rollercoaster he'd gone on out of sheer curiosity. He admitted later that it had been a mistake. It had flipped him so many times he hadn't known his right from his left at the end. The feeling came back, as well as an overwhelming sense of dizziness.

Then it faded and he was once again driving on the crowded streets of New York.

"Did that teach you to trust me Dave?" asked Balthazar.

"I trust you, I trust you," Dave muttered, "You just scare the hell out of me sometimes. A lot of times. Most times."

Grinning he caught Veronica's eye in the back mirror. She smiled back at him. He was so caught up in her that he was taken by complete surprise when Dave screamed;

"STOP!"

Balthazar slammed on the brakes. In front of them a garbage truck lifted up its visor. He could see Horvath smirking at him and Drake chewing his tongue.

"What's that?" asked Veronica.

Several responses flashed through his mind. In the end it was Dave who answered for him;

"Not good. Drive, drive, drive!"

Obligingly Balthazar set the car into reverse and accelerated out of the alley, the garbage truck following him all the way.


	29. Chapter 29

Veronica stared at the metal monster as they travelled backward. It was going impossibly fast for it size. She could see that Balthazar and Dave had noticed it. As fast as they were going it was gaining ground rapidly. If something wasn't done then it was going to catch them, and it was going to do it soon.

"I've got an idea," Dave said.

"Dave, don't-" started Balthazar.

"Come on, just let me try it!" he insisted.

Balthazar slowed the car a little. Dave spread his palm out and closed his eyes. She looked at the metal creature, wondering what on earth her lover's apprentice was trying to do. Then, before her eyes, the metal creature changed. It became smaller and covered in a chipped, green paint. Its progress became jerky.

"A beat-up pinto?" asked Balthazar, impressed, "I didn't know you had such range."

"I wasn't sure it was gonna work," Dave sighed, "I thought I might change **our **car."

"Yeah, I'd have killed you if that had happened," said Balthazar.

Dave was about to say something else when the world turned upside down. Veronica felt like she was floating for a minute. Time slowed to a crawl. Her hair hovered in the air around her as the car turned upside down. The same happened with Becky, only she had turned her head to avoid glass that was coming from her window.

Time sped up again. The car crashed into the sidewalk and skidded. Broken glass flew everywhere and metal crunched. Her fingers and neck were being cut by something; glass or metal, she didn't know which. Something jarred her as the car ran into something and was pushed forward again.

Then it stopped. Veronica hung suspended by what Becky had called a 'seat belt'. She fumbled with the button and broke loose. The impact when she hit the ground was painful, but she was still alive. Breathing deeply she crawled over to the driver's seat where Balthazar and Dave hung suspended as well.

"Balthazar?" she asked, "Dave?"

In response she only got a groan. They were semi-concious, but alive. Next to her Becky was waking up and breathing hard.

"Are they okay?" asked Becky.

"I think so," Veronica said, "We have to move them quick before-"

Her words were cut off as the car was flipped over again. She fell back into the seat, hitting her head on the door. Forcing herself up she saw Morgan approaching the car, her arms spread out straight and dramatically. Lightning was gathering in them, and a smirk was plastered on her face.

Veronica flung open the car door and stepped outside. Balthazar and Dave were unable to fight. If her love and the future were going to survive then she had to do something. It was more than that though. If Balthazar saw Dave as his son, then he was hers too. And there was Becky, the woman he loved and who had been nothing but kind to her.

She felt warmth from her ring for the first time since she had left the Grimhold. Inside she heard Merlin's voice, telling her if a sorcerer was weak then his magic was weak. She wasn't weak. Pressing both of her palms out she set up a shield just in time to deflect Morgana's plasma bolt. The part of the shield the bolt touched shattered, but Veronica didn't even bat an eye. She had to hold up.

"Becky!" she called, "Get them out of the car!"

Inside the car there were noises. Morgana sent another plasma bolt. Another portion of her shield shattered. This one she struggled to repair. Veronica knew that, even if she had her original powers with her, then she was still weaker than Morgana. Her shield was also more spread out. All in all she didn't have a prayer.

From behind Morgana she saw Horvath walk up. He joined her in attacking her. With a grimace Veronica sent a fire bolt after him, which hit him and knocked him back. She felt no pity for the man who had betrayed her and her love. The man who had claimed to love her had done nothing but that; **claimed** to love her.

Another portion of her shield shattered. From behind her she saw that Becky had managed to get Dave and Balthazar out of the car. The shield shattered entirely and Veronica was knocked back. She skidded on the cold road, scraping her elbows and arms. With great difficulty she got into a sitting position as Morgana advanced, summoning another plasma bolt.

"Your arrogance was always your defining feature," said Morgana.

An idea came to her, one that she knew would be their salvation. It terrified her though.

"And what was yours?" asked Veronica, "Your body's dying Morgana. You won't live to rule the world. I saw the runes written in the fireplace."

"I am not!" screeched Morgana.

"No, you're right. It's just your body," said Veronica, "Your personality, your soul if you have one, is still intact. If you had a new body then you could live. If it was willingly given, you could probably keep going."

Morgana paused.

"You're offering yourself as a vessel?"

"Veronica!" Becky yelled.

"Yes. If you let them all live, then you can have it," said Veronica, ignoring Becky.

"Rather trusting, aren't you?" asked Morgana.

"Swear it by your magic and I'll trust you," said Veronica.

Even a Morganian couldn't go back on an oath like that.

"Very well," Morgana said, "I swear by my magic that no harm will come to them."

Veronica got to her feet. She went to Becky and hugged her. As she did so she whispered;

"I'll stall her as long as I can. It won't be long. I'm relying on them, on you. And…tell Balthazar I love him."

"But-" protested Becky.

"No buts," Veronica said, "It's the only way."

She let go and walked up to Morgana. Taking a deep breath she held out her hand and Morgana took it, her skin like paper. Out of the corner of her eye saw that Horvath had knocked Becky aside, holding her in place with magic. He was taking the ring off of Dave's finger. In his other hand he held the two halves of the Rising.

Dave groaned and Horvath kicked him.

"I think I've acquired some new jewelry Dave," he said, "It's been ages since I saw this ring up close."

Veronica turned away. She didn't know how things were going to go now that Dave had lost his ring. She had to have faith though.

"You're a fool Veronica," said Morgana.

"We'll see," Veronica replied.

Cold flowed from Morgana's hand into hers. It felt like something was clawing its way up her throat. Veronica closed her eyes against the pain. When she opened them again they were a glowing blue. Morgana looked at Veronica's fingers and the smooth skin that covered them. She gave a satisfied sigh.

"Come Horvath. Leave them," said Morgana, "I made a promise."

She smiled at Becky.

"There will be plenty of time for them later."


	30. Chapter 30

"I failed her," said Balthazar.

Back at the Arcana Cabana Dave looked at his Master and father pityingly. He held an ice pack against his head and Becky rested his hand on her shoulder.

"There was nothing you could have done," he said.

"I could have done everything," snapped Balthazar, "Now she's gone. And let's take a look at our situation. They have the Rising. They have Veronica. They have your ring. Can you do magic without your ring? Can you Dave?"

Dave looked away, ashamed. He had tried as soon as he found out it was gone. It had been the first time in ten years when he hadn't been able to perform magic.

"I didn't think so," said Balthazar, "Damn it!"

He pounded his fist on the table. From underneath it Tank yelped and started whimpering. Dave jumped back, as did Becky. Balthazar sighed.

"I'm sorry Dave," He said, cradling his head in his hands, "I shouldn't have done that. I…she's gone again."

He nodded, though he couldn't even begin to understand what Balthazar was feeling. He'd waited centuries to have Veronica back. Now she had been taken from him again. And unlike before, he didn't have any clear way to get her back. It wasn't a matter of waiting anymore. It was a matter of fervent and hopeless prayer.

"I'm sure she's fighting her Dave," Balthazar said, "It's not in Veronica's nature to give up. But she thought that we'd be able to save her if given time. That's why she did it; not because she's some martyr. Because she was depending on us, on **me**."

"It's alright," said Dave in what he hoped was a soothing tone, "I know it looks bad, but we'll get her back."

"Dave, Morgana's taken over her by now," he said, "It's going to take some sort of miracle for us to even get near them."

"I know where they're going to be though," Dave said, "They had a map of Battery Park. It looked like they were planning on doing the Rising there."

Balthazar took his head out of his hands. He got up and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Dave.

"To stop Morgana," Balthazar said, pausing at the door.

"Well then I'm coming with you!" Dave said, getting out of his seat and striding up to where Balthazar stood.

"You don't have any magic Dave," said Balthazar, giving him a sad smile, "You won't last a minute."

He put both of his hands on Dave's shoulders.

"I'm not telling you this to express disapproval," he said, "But I've lost one person I care about tonight. I'm not losing another."

Dave stared at him and swallowed. Balthazar gave a side glance at Becky. With that same sad smile from earlier he said;

"No one knows how much time we have to spend with the people we love. Make the most of yours Dave."

Without another word Balthazar turned on his heel. Dave watched him leave the room before closing his eyes tightly. Becky walked up behind him and put her arms around his waist. Gratefully he leaned into the comforting warmth and contact that she offered. She rested her head on his neck and kissed the side of his jaw.

"It's going to be alright," she said.

"No, it won't," said Dave, "I was their one hope. And now I can't do magic anymore. I've depended on it to make me someone all these years and now…now I'm not anything!"

"Dave," Becky said, turning him in her arms and facing him, "You have** never** been nothing. Even before you showed me faeries you gave me your friendship. The way Balthazar tells it you were brave enough to stand up to Horvath when you were only ten. You've always been something. You're kind and gentle, a genius at physics, and… and…"

She swallowed.

"And the man I love," she said.

He leaned down and gave her a fierce kiss. Dave held her tighter, feeling the world crashing down around him. If nothing else he wanted to end this night, perhaps his last night on earth, with her in his arms and the taste of her on his tongue. Her lip gloss was sweet and smooth, feeling perfect with her soft lips.

They parted, panting but still holding her close to him.

"I love you too Becky," he said, "I…"

He trailed off, something tickling his brain.

"Becky, your lip gloss," said Dave.

She frowned.

"What about it?"

"It's cherry," he said, "The same cherry you used on the day I showed you my…my Tesla Coils."

A thought occurred to him and he stood up straighter.

"I know how to beat Horvath," he said, "No magic."

.

.

.

Drake looked up at the positioned satellite above him. He generally liked high places; they were always the set of his most interesting performances. If not for the what he was doing then he knew he'd enjoy himself immensely. He'd been set to get the satellites ready for the Rising. Horvath had checked him and set him to guarding them, making sure that nothing went wrong.

Horvath, of course, took it for granted that Drake was a willing slave. He thought he was another mindless Morganian drone. However, Drake had once been a Merlinian. True enough he'd been trained by a poor Merlinian. Now that he'd seen what real Morganians were like though, he felt like he fit more with the poor Merlinians than poor Morganians.

He sat down and took his old Incantus out of his pocket. In recent years he'd had few uses for it. As soon as he'd made his switch to Morganian the spells had changed a little bit. However, it seemed to be the same other than that. So he hadn't really read it, preferring to go with what felt right. Now though, now he felt that he should probably do some reading.


	31. Chapter 31

"So young, so beautiful," Morgan said, admiring Veronica's reflection in one of the fountains, "I can see why you fell for this one."

Horvath said nothing, simply stood at attention. It was strange to hear Veronica's voice with Morgana's tone. There was something cringe-worthy when the two of them combined. And Veronica was still in there; he could tell. Morgana would swat at the air with her hand sometimes and mutter under her breath. Drake had noticed it too, but the fool had been too cowed by Morgana to utter a word. He was glad. When he had first met the foolish boy he hadn't been able to stop talking.

And on top of that he knew that Veronica was enduring all the discomfort for Balthazar's sake. Oh, he had no doubt that she had done it for Dave and that Becky girl too. Yet, she barely knew them. Balthazar was, and it made him want to wretch, the love of her life. She would even let Morgana possess her body in order to protect him.

Morgana stood and climbed up the steps of the fountain.

"I cannot complete the spell until the circle is complete," she said.

He understood. Until then he was to make sure that no one was to interrupt her. She started chanting and he could feel the heat of flames. Horvath clutched his cane where he'd added Merlin's ring. He saw it as a trophy, a way to remind himself that the core of the fight was over. He closed his eyes and smirked. Softly he whispered to himself;

"You made the wrong choice Veronica."

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.

.

"Horvath took my ring," Dave said, jerking the steering wheel to the left, "He probably still has it. He's vain enough to have a cane for crying out loud, so that probably means he's vain enough to keep it. So that means he's twice the conductor that the average sorcerer is since the rings conduct energy. Is any of this making sense to you?"

"I'm an English major Dave," said Becky.

He blew a frustrated breath of air; he didn't know how else to explain it. Dave jerked the steering wheel again. Balthazar's car was in rough shape, but at least it had allowed Becky to get them to the Arcana Cabana. He hoped that it would be enough to get them to Battery Park. It had to balance a large Tesla Coil on the front of it in addition to carrying two passengers.

She'd made a rather good assistant despite claiming ignorance of physics. It was just one more thing about her that he found so incredibly attractive.

"Think of him as a tree," Dave said, "And lighting's going to strike. Now imagine that the tree gets bigger. It's going to take more damage."

"I get it…I think," said Becky.

Nodding he looked at the street signs. They weren't too far now. He felt himself relax a little until he saw fire streak through the sky. It bounced off a satellite on top of the building and left a stream behind it. Dave nearly stopped the car in his surprise. He didn't know what that meant, but it couldn't be good.

"Did you just see that?" he asked Becky.

"No, what?"

"How can you not see this?" Dave asked, "The satellite. That building there."

She leaned forward and strained her eyes.

"I don't see anything Dave."

His mind raced, trying to remember what exactly the Rising entailed. He'd only seen the two halves briefly.

"I think they're using the satellites to bounce a signal," he said.

Pulling over he slammed on the brakes. He turned and looked at her.

"I need you to do something for me," Dave said, wincing through the words, "I need you to climb to the top of the building and do something to the satellite, disrupt the signal."

She stared at him.

"Climb up that building?" repeated Becky.

He wished he didn't have to ask her to do this. She'd been through so much lately and yet stood so strong. Becky had been braver than anyone would have cause to ask. And now he was asking her to face one of her biggest fears for him. Dave didn't think he was turning out to be such a great boyfriend.

"Okay," she said, "Okay."

Setting her face she started to get out of the car. Dave grabbed her hand.

"Becky?" he said.

She stopped and turned.

"When we were little," he said, "I really wanted to stay with you."

Becky smiled.

"So did I," she said, "But I think life had other plans for us."

With a smile she squeezed his hand back.

"For what it's worth though, I think our future didn't get disrupted too much. And if we survive this I don't think it will either."

Smiling once more she let go and shut the car door. He wanted to watch her leave but he had to continue on. He really wanted to have a future for Becky to be in.

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.

.

Another stream of fire shot forth from the fountain. Balthazar watched as his worst nightmare came true. Still, he was Balthazar Blake, sorcerer of the 777th degree, Merlin's apprentice. He had spent centuries chasing a promise and a hope. He wasn't going to go down without a fight.

He scanned the area for Drake. The two-penny Morganian had never struck him as a big threat, but he didn't want to be surprised when he was in the middle of a real fight. When he didn't find him he figured that Horvath had him doing some mundane task. Morganians weren't known for their gratitude.

From the inside of his pocket he took out the Grimhold. His plan, and he admitted that it wasn't a very solid one, was to defeat Horvath when Morgana was distracted by the spell. Then he would lock Morgana into the Grimhold. Balthazar didn't want to imprison Veronica as well, but he was sure that once Dave got his ring back they could figure something out. It would only be temporary.

Putting the Grimhold back into his pocket he walked into the park. Horvath raised his eyebrows at the sight of him.

"Come to die like a man?" asked Horvath, "I wish you'd stop making these hopeless gestures Balthazar."

Balthazar summoned a plasma bolt with his hand.

"As you wish," he said.


	32. Chapter 32

Becky ran up the stairs. Her lungs were burning and slowing her down. Still, she was almost to the top. When she saw the roof exit sign she nearly cried with relief. Upon pushing the door open her emotion and expression changed. Clenching her fists with helpless anger she snapped;

"What are you doing here?"

Drake looked up. He was sitting cross-legged and reading a book that looked like Dave's Incantus. His eyes narrowed and then widened with relief.

"Oh. Just you darlin'," he said, "Sorry 'bout the Arcana Cabana."

"I'm not your darling," snarled Becky, "And apology not accepted. Now, are you going to get out of my way or do I need to take you down?"

She wondered where these words were coming from. Perhaps it was her frustration from the past few days. Maybe it was that she couldn't believe that she was being stopped when she was so close to her goal. Either way she felt, magic or no magic, she'd be able to rip Drake limb from limb.

He held up his hands defensively.

"Hey, chill," he said, "I'm tryin' to figure out how to get rid of Morgana right now. So you could be just a little more supportive."

Becky raised her eyebrows.

"You're lying."

"Believe what you like," he said, "But I found this thing called a parasite spell. Sucks the life force outta a person. But she's got more than one person in her. So I figure we could a' least separate Morgana from that Veronica. Worth a shot I thought."

Still hesitant Becky took a step forward.

"We?" she asked.

"Yeah, we," said Drake, "The signal that's goin' back an' forth? I can hijack it for a minute, sort o' borrow its power. But after that it goes back to being the Rising. And Morgana'll just power up if tha' happens. I need someone to disrupt the satellite the second the parasite spell goes through. Couldn't do it by myself, and now you're here."

"You're so full of it," Becky said, "Why would you want to help us?"

"Look, miss," said Drake, getting to his feet, "I dunno if you know who I am, but I'm Drake Stone. I'm an **entertainer**. I like doin' that stuff, an' I can't if the world ends. This isn't really my thing. Besides, I owe your boyfriend."

She crossed her arms. She wanted to believe that he wanted to help them, mostly because it was convenient. The last sentence seemed especially strange though.

"What do you mean?" Becky asked.

"He saved my life when we were kids," said Drake, "Probably didn't mention it. Don't blame him. But look, are you going to help me or no? We don't have a lot of time."

Biting her lip she looked up the tower where the satellite was. Although she couldn't see it she knew that the Rising was being bounced back and forth in the air. If Drake was telling the truth then she'd save Veronica who'd sacrificed herself so that they could live. If not, well, he was alert. Now that the adrenaline had disappeared she realized she probably couldn't take him in any case.

"Looks like I don't have much of a choice," she said at last.

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.

.

Balthazar dodged a plasma bolt. He ducked behind a stone statue momentarily, trying to get his bearings. Their fight had been going on for some time now, too long. Morgana was nearly done with her spell. If he had any hope of preventing dead sorcerers from rising then he had to end things with Horvath quickly.

A grimace crossed his face. He doubted that that that would happen.

"I hoped that you would show," Horvath said, "We do have such unfinished business."

He jumped up and sent a plasma bolt of his own at Horvath. He swung his cane at it, deflecting it into a tree that exploded into splinters.

"Ever since you picked up Dave it seemed like we were on an uneven playing ground," Horvath gloated, "But now I'm the one with the upper hand. You've lost your greatest weapon."

Fire poured from the end of his cane. Balthazar started up a vacuum spell and gathered it all up. He threw it back at Horvath, knocking his hat off and singeing him. In retaliation he sent what Balthazar thought was a time adjustment spell. He dropped to the ground in order to avoid it, narrowly missing the explosion.

"And despite everything," Horvath said, "you seem fond of the boy."

He smirked.

"Has Balthazar made a new friend?"

Struggling to his knees Balthazar pressed his hand to the ground. Vines shot out of it and wrapped around Horvath's legs. With another swing of his cane he chopped them off. In the same movement he sent another time displacement spell. This one was too fast for Balthazar to dodge. He felt himself encased in a thick, Jell-O like material. Even the blink he had been trying to make had suddenly slowed down.

Horvath brushed himself off and walked up to Balthazar.

"As her power grows, so does mine," he said.

He looked over at Veronica and sighed longingly.

"This must be terrible for you," he said, "You're about to die, the Rising is being said, and Veronica is trapped forever. Makes me wish Dave were here too; destroy everything you care about. It would be perfect."

A car horn blasted. Horvath whipped around and Balthazar looked out of the corner of his eye. At first he wondered if the effects of the time displacement spell were tampering with his mind. He saw his car coming at them with a Tesla coil attached to it and Dave leaning out the window with a trigger in hand.

"Careful what you wish for Horvath!" Dave yelled.

He flipped the switch. Lighting came out of the Tesla coil and hit Horvath in the chest. He was sent flying, far over the fence and into the street. He didn't get back up. The time displacement spell faded and Balthazar began to move again. Dave opened the car door and hurried to his side.

"Nice application of physics," gasped Balthazar.

"Yeah," Dave replied sheepishly.

Fire flared in front of them. It streaked the sky, lighting up the night in a blaze. Balthazar felt his heart sink. Dave's arrival had been for nothing. They were too late; the Rising had already been said.


	33. Chapter 33

"Okay," Drake said, cracking his neck and giving the Incantus one last look, "Okay."

Becky looked down, feeling her confidence ebb by the second. She was stuck in a metal tower with her foot poised over a satellite, waiting for a spell that may or may not work. What was more was that it was being said by someone who had tried to kill her a few days earlier. That that someone didn't seem to be the best sorcerer in the world either. It didn't exactly inspire confidence.

She saw him lean his head back and raise his arms. The lights around her flickered and her grip tightened. In a sweeping motion Drake pushed his arms towards the tower, his hands in fists. He opened them like he was in some sort of stage show. For a minute Becky thought that she saw a flash of blue light.

.

.

.

The fires around Morgana went from orange to blue. Morgana lowered her arms, turning her head in a panic. Dave watched in amazement as she screamed and fell to her knees. Balthazar started forward but Dave put out a hand to restrain him. They still didn't have any idea what was going on.

Flecks of light were gathering outside of her. The light solidified into something approaching sand. They streamed from her face and gathered in front of her, settling at the bottom and building themselves up. As more and more joined Dave thought he saw the form of a woman take shape. With even closer inspection he saw that the shifting form belonged to Morgana. He gave Balthazar a questioning look.

"A parasite spell," he said, "But I've never…I've never seen it used in this way before."

More flecks were added, making Morgana look solid. Dave clearly saw two women in the middle of the fountain. He also noticed the fires turning from blue to orange.

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.

"Now!" Drake yelled.

Lashing out Becky kicked the satellite. The first time she went for it she missed. The second time she landed a solid blow on it, the shock of the impact going up to her knee. The satellite turned down and she thought she saw a flash of orange. The next minute she withdrew her foot and continued to clutch to the metal of the tower.

"Nice job," Drake called up to her.

Becky nodded, swallowing.

"Not so bad yourself," she said, "But I'd really like to get down now, so not another word until I'm back on solid ground."

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.

.

The fires went out, sending out a wave that knocked Balthazar and Dave off their feet. Dave got up and gave his Master a hand. Shielding his eyes he saw that Veronica was still in the middle of the fountain, pushing herself away from the ever-shifting Morgana. He didn't blame her. She didn't look happy.

"You'll pay for this!" Morgana shrieked, "You'll all pay for this!"

Balthazar sprinted to Veronica's side. Dave did the same, knowing he couldn't let his Master go alone. What happened next seemed to occur both very fast and yet, somehow, very slow at the same time. He tried to explain it to Balthazar later, but words had never been his strong point. After a few minutes he gave it up entirely.

His Master reached Veronica first. He started to help her up, but realized that he couldn't get her out of the way in time. Instead he stayed with her, reaching out with his ring. Morgana was already sending flames though, and Dave could see Balthazar's shields crumbling, rebuilding themselves, and crumbling all over again as the flames flickered around them.

By the time Morgana sent another wave of fire Balthazar's shields were spent. Dave was on the bottom step of the fountain then. He could see plainly that Balthazar and Veronica didn't stand a chance. When the fire hit them they were going to die, horribly, and Morgana would have won.

What happened next had very little thought involved. He was a person of action, a person who'd had lessons about magic pounded into him ceaselessly since he was ten. Dave had no ring. In that situation he was defenseless. Balthazar had made it very clear what he was to do if he found himself in such a situation; get the hell out of there and let him handle it.

Yet, Dave wasn't just a magic student. He was a son. The woman who would have been, who might still be, his mother was laying on the ground. The man who had raised him had her in her arms, refusing to leave her. Dave wasn't going to abandon them. That was a decision he made consciously and willingly. So, without hesitation he jumped in front of them and stretched his arms out. As the flames came he closed his eyes.

He expected to feel flames devouring his flesh. He expected to smell burnt meat. He expected pain to flood his entire being. That wasn't what happened though. In place of pain he felt warmth all around him. It didn't touch him though. Confused Dave tentatively opened his eyes, keeping his arms outstretched.

Flames flowed around him, repelled by the shield he had unconsciously made.

"No way," he whispered.

Turning his head he saw Balthazar look at him with pride.

"It is you," he said.

Dave grinned and looked back. The flames had stopped. Morgana stood as still as she could in her flickering form, seething.

"The Prime Merlinian come to claim his destiny," she said bitingly, "Just try."

"Balthazar, Veronica," Dave said, squaring himself up and straightening his shoulders, "Get out of here."

Taking in a deep breath he cleared his mind.

"I've got this."


	34. Chapter 34

Dave didn't know what he could do that would harm Morgana. She wasn't even all in one place, just flickering everywhere like an image on a bad television. He had to start somewhere though, so he sent a plasma bolt at her, followed by another. To his disgust Morgana split, letting both of them pass through her.

"I'd have expected better from Merlin's heir," laughed Morgana, "Is that all you have?"

"Sure hope not," Dave replied.

Rocking on the balls of his feet he racked his brain for ideas. His mind immediately went to the Tesla coil attached to the car. He hadn't defeated Horvath through magic; he'd done it through science. His whole life had been spent studying both science and magic. Why shouldn't they help him now?

Glancing around the park he saw the lights and the matinence booth. Dave took this in within seconds and concentrated, thinking about how all the cables could be attached. Unluckily Morgana hadn't been as idle as he had during that time. He opened his eyes just in time to see a barrage of plasma bolts headed his way.

He threw up a shield to protect himself, still guiding the cables in his mind. They snaked over the grass, into the booth. The images of switches pounded in his head even as he saw his shield break under Morgana's attack. It was disheartening to see how quickly it disintegrated into nothing.

"You have all of Merlin's power," she sneered, "but none of his strength."

"Maybe," said Dave, straightening and grinning, "But I brought a little science with me."

Dave commanded the switch to be flipped. It did, and the park lit up with light. Plasma streamed from the lights and struck Morgana. She screamed as they pinned her down, held her viscous form in place. She was almost drowned out by the music the plasma made, a sound that was as encouraging to Dave as it was comforting.

Summoning up the last of his strength he sent out a barrage of plasma bolts at the suddenly solid Morgana.

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.

.

Stars start up as nothing special; just clouds of gas and dust. These nebulas will later turn into protostars, the first stage of a stars life. From there several things can happen; since stellar evolution is a tricky process. At the height of a star's brilliance though, it will do one of two things; turn into a black hole or go supernova.

Really, it just depends on the star. Yet, it is scientific fact that if a star does go supernova it is a sight to behold. The phenomenon can be seen galaxies away as the star lights up the night. Some can even be seen without the aid of a telescope. No matter what it is said to be a an amazing sight to behold.

Another scientific fact is that most of the objects near a star are caught up in the blast. The only option for any object that stands in the path of a supernova is to be utterly destroyed.

.

.

.

With a final plasma bolt the last of Morgana was whipped away to the winds. Dave coughed and stumbled. He rested his hands on his knees, panting.

"Dave, that was something else."

He chuckled and looked up. Balthazar stood there, his hand on Dave's shoulder. He hesitated with his next words.

"I'm proud of you," said Balthazar, "It doesn't say it all, but it's the closest I can come."

Emotions stuck in Dave's throat. He laughed them off, but they remained.

"Hey I learned from the best," said Dave.

Balthazar grinned and proffered a hand. Dave took it and got to his feet. They surveyed the park. For all that had gone on that night it looked surprisingly normal.

"Go figure," Dave said.

"What?" asked Balthazar.

"Just how normal everything looks," said Dave, "Like nothing at all happened."

"That's magic for you," Balthazar said, "It happens in the shadows of history."

"To me this place doesn't look normal at all," Veronica said, stepping beside Balthazar, "And now that this is over you have no excuse for not telling me about this world."

"Looks like I'm going to be busy in the upcoming weeks Dave," sighed Balthazar, "Look's like she's going to be a bit of a handful."

She smiled as he let go of Dave and wrapped his arms around her.

"I don't mind as long as it's me doing the handling though," said Balthazar.

Recognizing that they were having a moment Dave nodded and moved away. He didn't want to interrupt anything. Still feeling exhausted he started jogging towards the car. On his way there he saw Becky come running through the gate. He smiled, only to have the expression fall off when Drake came running behind her.

He started to summon a plasma bolt with his hand. Becky stopped and started to wave her hands wildly.

"No, it's okay!" she protested, "He did the parasite spell! The thing that separated Veronica and Morgana. It did separate them right?"

"Well, seein' how Balthazar's kissin' her I'd say it did," Drake said dryly, "Otherwise tha's just gross."

The plasma bolt died in his hand. Drake winked at him.

"I'd say we're even now, you an' I," he said, "Which means I can get back to me day job. And your girlfriend has a bloody good kick. That satellite nearly fell to pieces."

Drake hesitated.

"We **are **even, right?"

Dave sighed but smiled.

"Even," he said.

Drake sighed in relief.

"Good, 'cause I have to get back. My manager's probably havin' a fit wonderin' where I disappeared off to," he said.

With a slight bow he shoved his hands in his pockets and ran out of the park. As he went out he nearly stepped on a bowler hat that was lying in the street, not really taking much notice of it. Dave shook his head as Becky came up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He returned the embrace and sighed.

"That guy was always kind of weird," he said, "He couldn't aim with his plasma bolts either. When we were both training-"

Becky put a finger to his lips.

"Dave," she said, "you've just saved the world and your family. You've got your girlfriend in your arms. Are you really going to talk about someone you were an apprentice with?"

He considered for a minute.

"Nope," said Dave, "I don't think I'm going to talk at all."

"Good choice," she said, leaning in.

In one swift movement he captured her lips with his. They still tasted like cherries. 

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: _**_And that's the end of the Stellar Evolution series! 153 pages on Microsoft word. A special thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially kenobigirlliz, Jem Yorke, and noamg!_


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